Comparison with Other Geosynthetics

Comparison With Other Geosynthetics

PRS Geo-Technologies Neoloy Tough-Cells Comparison With Other Geosynthetics

The goal of geosynthetic reinforcement is to optimize the resources used to construct a solid, stabilized base and subbase for the pavement or other construction. Neoloy Tough-Cells are an ideal geosynthetic soil stabilization and reinforcement solution for geotechnical engineering:

Compared to 2D geosynthetic products, such as geogrids and geotextiles, geocell confinement in three dimensions better minimizes the lateral as well as the vertical movement of soil particles. This results in a higher locked-in confining stress and thus a higher modulus of the base.
Conventional ground stabilization solutions (soil replacement, additives, or thicker base layers) either do not provide sufficient long-term stability and strength for transportation engineering and/or entail higher costs and environmental impacts.

Neoloy reinforcement outperforms any other geocell, geogrid or geosynthetic solution. See for yourself how Neoloy compares.

Neoloy Tough-Cells Comparison to Geogrids

PRS Geo-Technologies Neoloy Tough-Cells Comparison With Other Geosynthetics Neoloy Tough-Cells Comparison to Geogrids

Neoloy 3D Confinement Offers Superior and Sustainable Reinforcement

Use sand, marginal and recycled materials to achieve higher confinement and modulus improvement than with geogrids

Neoloy Tough-Cells and geogrids are both reinforcement geosynthetics, but they offer distinct advantages and disadvantages. This comparison will highlight the key differences to help you select the optimal solution for your project.

Superior Stabilization with 3D Confinement

Neoloy Tough-Cells are a revolutionary 3D honeycomb structure designed to excel in soil stabilization. Their key advantage lies in the three-dimensional confinement they provide, unlike the 2D tensioned membrane mechanism of geogrids.

Enhanced Stability: The 100-200 mm high cell walls create a robust confinement zone, restraining internal forces and minimizing lateral soil movement. This translates to significantly improved stability of soft subgrades.

Beam-Slab Effect: Neoloy Tough-Cells act as a reinforced “beam (slab),” enhancing the overall stiffness (modulus) of pavement layers. Load distribution is improved and deformation is minimized throughout the project lifespan.

Wider Infill Options: Unlike geogrids, which require specific, well-graded aggregates, Neoloy Tough-Cells can effectively utilize a wider range of infill materials, including sand, recycled or poorly-graded aggregates. This offers greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Performance Benefits of Neoloy Tough-Cells

Advanced Material Properties: Neoloy Tough-Cells are crafted from a novel polymeric alloy (NPA) boasting superior properties like high stiffness, exceptional creep resistance, and remarkable tensile strength. These attributes translate to a significantly higher modulus improvement compared to geogrids.

Reduced Road Thickness: Studies by KIWA testing institute in the Netherlands demonstrated that Neoloy Tough-Cells can achieve a road thickness reduction factor of over 70% compared to conventional methods.

Improved Sustainability: Neoloy Tough-Cells promote sustainability by allowing the use of locally-available, marginal quality soils and recycled materials for infill. This significantly reduces quarrying, hauling, and associated environmental impact.

Geogrids, while offering a solution for soil stabilization, have limitations when compared to Neoloy Tough-Cells. Their 2D grid structure provides a limited confined zone and requires specific infill materials, often leading to higher costs and environmental impact.

Benefits

3D Neoloy has significantly larger confinement zones and higher modulus improvement factor than 2D geogrids.
Neoloy beam (slab) effect works at low deformation levels while geogrids tension membrane effect works only at large deformations
Suitable for base layer reinforcement, whereas geogrids are suitable for sub-layers only.
Sustainable and cost-saving solution – uses wide variety of locally available marginal soils – does not require specific aggregate size
Neoloy outperforms geogrids in the short and long-term – in both performance and cost

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Key Advantages of Neoloy Tough-Cells over Geogrids

The table below summarizes the key advantages of Neoloy Tough-Cells:

Parameter	Neoloy Tough-Cells	Geogrids
Infill Requirements	Wide range (ungraded, marginal, local soils, recycled materials, sand)	High-quality, costly well-graded ballast, stone and gravel
Sensitivity to Saturated Soil	Low – maintains confinement, strength when saturated	High – saturation lowers strength, increases settlements
Confinement Zone	Extends well beyond 100-200 mm cell height, high reinforcement factor	Limited vertical zone
Effect of Vertical Loading	Verified beam effect (semi-rigid slab) – limits lateral deformation	No beam effect, relies on high deformation
Modulus Improvement Factor (MIF)	Substantial improvement (up to 5x)	Modest improvement
Typical Road Thickness Reduction Factor	Up to 70% (KIWA institute tests)	Up to 45% (KIWA institute tests)
Extend Lifespan & Lower Maintenance	Extends lifespan, reduces maintenance costs	Varies depending on geogrid type and layers
Cost-Effectiveness	Higher unit cost offset by performance and infill options	Lower unit cost but lower performance
Sustainability	High (uses local soils and recycled materials)	Low (requires specific aggregates)
Installation	Reduces structural layers to save time and money	May require multiple layers to achieve higher reinforcement
Effectiveness on Soft Soils	Highly effective on sand, expansive clay, and peat	Partially effective on sand and expansive clay

The Neoloy Hybrid Advantage

While both Neoloy Tough-Cells and geogrids offer benefits, a hybrid solution can be particularly advantageous. Combining Neoloy Tough-Cells in the structural layers with a geogrid working platform on the subgrade layer has proven highly effective in numerous applications. This approach leverages the advantages of both materials:

Neoloy Tough-Cells provide exceptional 3D confinement, improved load distribution, and high performance within the structural layers.

Geogrids create a stable working platform on soft subgrade, that multiplies the reinforcement factor of the Neoloy Tough-Cells.