Cost-Effective Asphalt Road Stabilisation with Neoloy® Tough-Cells
Neoloy Tough-Cells are a sustainable stabilization technology for asphalt roads that stiffens structural layers for more resilient long-term performance.
The Challenge of Asphalt Road Construction
Pavement structures may show fatigue before the end of their design life due to several factors. These include low-quality construction materials, inadequate subgrade preparation and overloading by heavy traffic. To extend pavement lifespan, engineers consider two main approaches to distribute loads over a larger area and reduce stress on lower layers:
- Increasing layer thickness
- Enhancing layer rigidity
Research has shown that increasing the rigidity of pavement layers is a more efficient and sustainable strategy for extending pavement life. This is because a stiffer structure minimizes stress transfer to lower layers while using fewer aggregate resources.
The Neoloy® Tough-Cell Solutions
Neoloy is the only geocell to break the subgrade barrier, as it can be utilized in the base layers of heavy-duty pavements. Field and laboratory tests demonstrate the effectiveness of Neoloy Tough-Cells road stabilization technology in enhancing layer strength and stiffness. Neoloy stabilization show a significant increase in the modulus (a measure of stiffness) of the compared to a conventional, unconfined subbase. The wheel load of heavy vehicles is spread over a much larger area, resulting in a stronger and more durable pavement structure.
The Neoloy improvement factors at low deformation levels are due to their NPA – Novel Polymeric Alloy composition. NPA gives Neoloy engineering properties that meet or exceed the performance requirements of ASTM, ISO and other geocell standards for road stabilization.
Since Neoloy Tough-Cells improve the moduli of the base layer, costly high-grade aggregate in the base layer can be replaced with locally available, lower cost (subbase) soils (e.g., sand) or recycled materials (e.g., RAP). The Neoloy Tough-Cell Modulus Improvement Factor (MIF) enables a reduction in the pavement thickness and/or a significant increase in road design life.
This is an important example of a sustainable construction method with clear environmental and economic benefits
Why The Neoloy® Tough-Cell for Sustainable Road Construction
Quality asphalt road pavements depend upon a stable base – that’s what Neoloy Tough-Cells do. Neoloy offers more cost-effective and sustainable reinforcement for structural pavements than any other stabilization strategy.
Neoloy Tough-Cells with NPA extend pavement design life well beyond HPDE geocells and provide a clear value proposition for asphalt road construction compared to any other geocells, geogrids or other reinforcement geosynthetics. Proven in pavements worldwide in a variety of conditions, loads, and environments Neoloy offers the following advantages:
- Reduced thickness – asphalt granular base and subbase layers
- Aggregate replacement – replace base (and subbase) aggregate to locally available/lower cost/lower quality materials (sand, recycled asphalt/concrete, etc.) instead of imported materials
- Secondary improvement of asphalt and pavement performance
- Reduced maintenance
Add Stiffness and Strength to Any Layer of Asphalt Road Construction
Neoloy Tough-Cell confinement used in asphalt road construction stiffens the pavement structural infill material, due to the creation of a beam effect as well as apparent cohesion. This provide the following benefits:
- Increase Lifespan – Neoloy increases the design life of asphalt pavement by several factors – due to its low creep and high stiffness.
- Reduce Layer Thickness – Neoloy also improves the modulus improvement factor for each layer, thereby enabling a reduction in pavement thickness while decreasing highway maintenance.
- Prevent Fatigue – the stiff Neoloy Tough-Cell mechanically reinforces the base layer of asphalt pavements by spreading loads laterally and reducing vertical deformation; the result is less fatigue and cracks in the asphalt.
- Reduce Costs – utilize locally available marginal soil and/or recycled materials for structural infill – instead of importing high quality aggregate – to create more sustainable highways as well.