The specific characteristics of natural soils and other mineral construction materials will put limits on the engineering work which can be constructed: this may apply to the construction process or the structures themselves. Many poor, weak soils make working with the heavy construction equipment impractical, or the material available does not meet geotechnical design requirements for final structures.

When construction projects can only be achieved by expensive replacement of the soil with new material, for example in construction of haul roads, the search for alternative techniques becomes inevitable. Stabilizing and/or strengthening soils using chemical binding agents is highly equipment-intensive, and such methods often have to be ruled out on economic grounds. The aim therefore is to find a solution which enables construction to continue without the removal of the soft soils.

A tested and proven option is to use geogrids whose strength and geometry allow the absorption of shear loads, which destabilize soft soils, and then only transmit vertical loads to the soft soil. This method can be further optimized by using geogrids which can absorb high tension forces at low strain.



Another problem arises if very steep slopes have to be constructed for reasons of space, and their slope angle is greater than the internal friction angle of the material available. One major challenge here for ecological and financial reasons, is to use the soils available on site, even though these alone are not strong enough to complete construction or provide the safety required. These shortcomings in structural safety calculations can be solved by using tension-absorbing geogrid reinforcement.

The Enkagrid family of geogrids offers a wide range of cost effective solutions for stabilizing and reinforcing soil to meet the requirements of construction projects under a wide range of conditions.

For more information on Enkagrid products and their uses, please go to the Enkagrid product family.