Roads built over weak soils reduce allowable truck payloads, inhibit vehicle traction, pose a safety hazard, and lead to higher road maintenance costs over time. Critically weak road sections also reduce transportation efficiency thus limiting access to fibre. To address this challenge, FPInnovations published the Geosynthetics Design Guide: Reinforcement Solutions for Unpaved Roads to provide users with a tool to guide them in the design of geosynthetic reinforced unpaved roads.
Why geosynthetics?
Geosynthetics are a proven solution for mechanically improving the performance of critically weak soils by providing confinement, drainage, separation, wicking, and filtration. They have been used in the forest and mining industries as well as civil engineering projects.
In addition, good quality road materials are not always accessible or cost-effective. In remote areas where access to gravel can be limited, designers that might have traditionally only considered unreinforced design will now be presented with a multitude of reinforcement options that can be compared to an unreinforced design to quantify potential gravel and hauling cost savings.
The Geosynthetics Design Guide: Reinforcement Solutions for Unpaved Roads allows users to better design critical road sections by improving the bearing capacity, thus improving transportation efficiency and access to fibre. The use of this guide can also lead to significant construction cost savings.
For more information, you can contact Francis Bober at francis.bober@fpinnovations.ca or Papa Masseck Thiam at papa-masseck.thiam@fpinnovations.ca.
