Bearing Capacity
Stabilized 3D confinement improves subgrade support.
Higher subgrade bearing capacity
In load support applications, the pavement structure is only as reliable as the ground response beneath it. Heavy-duty roads, yards, platforms, airport pavements, rail substructures and industrial surfaces must transfer repeated static, dynamic and cyclic loads into subgrades that are often weak, saturated, expansive or variable. When the subgrade cannot provide stable support, vertical stresses concentrate, aggregate migrates, base layers deform and surface distresses develop.
These conditions often force conventional designs toward deeper excavation, thicker granular layers, imported high-quality aggregate, chemical stabilization or soil replacement. While these approaches can improve short-term bearing capacity, they frequently increase construction time, logistics, carbon footprint and lifecycle cost, especially where water, traffic, heavy axle loads or long design-life requirements are present.
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Neoloy® Tough-Cells are designed to address load support challenges by transforming compacted infill into a confined, mechanically stabilized layer. The system does not rely only on aggregate layer thickness. It improves how the pavement section carries and distributes loads, allowing engineers to optimize the design according to soil conditions, loading, drainage, infill and required service life, as:
Neoloy® Tough-Cells improve load support through 3D mechanical confinement. Once expanded, infilled and compacted, the cellular structure mobilizes hoop stresses in the cell walls and interlocks with the infill, creating a stiff yet flexible reinforced mattress. This composite layer distributes applied loads more efficiently than unconfined granular fill, improves modulus of the stabilized layer and reduces stress concentration on weak subgrades.
Neoloy® properties translated into measurable engineering value:
Stabilized 3D confinement improves subgrade support.
Higher subgrade bearing capacityReinforced composite layer increases structural modulus.
Increased layer stiffnessWider stress distribution reduces deformation and differential settlement.
Lower settlementsImproved load distribution reduces base and subbase requirements.
Pavement thickness reductionImproved support below asphalt layers reduces tensile strain and layer demand.
Asphalt reductionReduced rutting, settlement and fatigue support longer pavement performance.
Extended pavement service lifeLower deformation and surface degradation reduce repair frequency.
Less maintenanceLower construction inputs and reduced maintenance improve total cost efficiency.
Lifecycle cost savingsReduced excavation, quarrying, hauling and imported aggregate lower environmental impact.
Lower carbon footprintNeoloy® Tough-Cells are used across a wide range of load support applications where structural performance, construction efficiency and long-term serviceability are critical.
Access roads and haul roads face heavy axle loads, repeated traffic, weak or wet soils, and constant maintenance demands. In mining, energy, and industrial operations, poor road performance can reduce safety, slow haul cycles, increase vehicle wear, and disrupt production.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells reinforce the road base and spread wheel loads across a wider area. This reduce rutting, and surface deflection, while maintaining reliable road performance under demanding operating conditions.
At a coal mine in Indonesia, Neoloy® Tough-Cells reinforced roads used by 180-ton haul trucks and 200-ton double-trailer trucks. The project achieved over 20% pavement thickness reduction, more than 2.4x lower surface deflection, 85% higher surface modulus on the double-trailer road and more than 3.48x increase in Ev2 modulus.
View Haul Road Project
Airport pavements must perform reliably under repeated aircraft, service vehicle, and construction loads. On soft, saturated, or settlement-prone soils, conventional construction may require extensive soil replacement, thicker pavement layers, and longer schedules.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells improve reinforced layer stiffness and distribute loads across a wider area, reducing stress on weak subgrades. This supports runways, aprons, access roads, and other heavy-duty airport pavements while enabling faster, more sustainable construction.
At the New International Airport project in Mexico, pavements had to be built over extremely soft, saturated lakebed clay. In a four-month comparison test, Neoloy® Tough-Cells showed no surface deformation, potholes or settlement. The project achieved US $10 million in time-cost savings, reduced construction time by more than one year, reduced structural weight by 60%, reduced asphalt layer thickness by 30% and improved reinforced layer modulus by 3.5x.
View Mexico Airport Project
Industrial and logistics yards need stable pavements for trucks, storage, loading zones, warehouses, and other heavy-duty operations. Weak or compressible soils can increase settlement risk, aggregate demand, and ground-replacement costs.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells improve bearing capacity under statics loads and reinforce structural layers, reducing settlement, excavation, aggregate use, and construction time.
At Frontier Park in Mexico, highly compressible clay with low CBR created major challenges for industrial platform construction. The Neoloy® Tough-Cells solution increased bearing capacity to 27 ton/sqm, eliminated 1.7 m of subgrade replacement, reduced pavement thickness from 2.86 m to 1.16 m and generated US $2.36 million in construction savings.
View Industrial Park Mexico Project
Port and container yards face extreme static and dynamic loads from reach stackers, loaded containers, cranes, trucks, and continuous handling operations. Pavement failure can disrupt terminal productivity, increase maintenance costs, and reduce operating capacity.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells reinforce the base or subbase to create a stiff, stable pavement foundation. The confined layer increases modulus, reduces differential settlement, and supports long-term performance under concentrated wheel and storage loads.
At the Gdansk container yard, the pavement was designed for reach stacker operations with axle loads reaching up to 1000 kN. Neoloy® Tough-Cells improved subgrade modulus from 40 MPa to 250 MPa, an improvement of more than 6x. The design enabled a 33% reduction in the concrete base layer, 30% cost savings and installation rates up to 2,000 sqm/day.
View Gdansk Container Yard Project
Railway substructures must resist repeated cyclic loading while maintaining track geometry, drainage and ballast performance. Weak subgrades can lead to mud pumping, ballast fouling, settlement, frequent tamping and speed restrictions.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells reinforce the ballast/subballast interface or substructure layer to reduce vertical stress, improve load distribution and limit deformation. This helps maintain track quality and reduce maintenance cycles.
On a problematic Amtrak section with weak muddy clay and poor drainage, Neoloy® Tough-Cells were installed at the ballast/subballast interface. The project reduced maintenance by a factor of 7x, improved Track Quality Index by 2x, reduced vertical pressure on the substructure by 50% and helped restore speed and service levels.
View Amtrak Railway Project
Roads and highways must withstand repeated traffic loading, increasing vehicle volumes, weather exposure, and strict serviceability demands. On constrained pavement sections, conventional designs may require thicker asphalt, premium aggregate, or deeper reconstruction.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells reinforce the base or subbase to improve load distribution, reduce vertical stress, and increase pavement stiffness. This helps engineers optimize pavement thickness while maintaining long-term structural performance.
On Highway 6, Neoloy® Tough-Cells were installed in the upper pavement structure directly under the asphalt. The reinforced design enabled use of lower-cost granular infill, achieved 37% base/subbase material cost savings, reduced total asphalt thickness by 23%, delivered a 2.7x higher elastic modulus in the base layer and showed approximately 50% less vertical stress than the unreinforced control section.
View Highway 6 Project
Working platforms must provide safe and stable ground support for heavy equipment, cranes, stockpiles, construction traffic and temporary operations. Weak subgrades, poor drainage and aggregate migration can create unsafe working conditions, rutting, downtime and repeated maintenance.
Neoloy® Tough-Cells confine granular, recycled or local infill to create a reinforced platform over weak or variable soils. The system maintains compaction, reduces material migration and improves the structural response of the working surface under heavy loads.
At PD Ports’ Groveport steel yard, heavy truck traffic over soft clay caused surface degradation, standing water and frequent maintenance. Neoloy® Tough-Cells were installed with recycled crushed concrete infill to create a reinforced working platform, improving subgrade strength by 7.6x and supporting a design life of at least 10 years.
View PD Ports Working Platform Project