Geocells are a kind of three-dimensional reticulated cellular structure formed by reinforced HDPE sheet materials through high-strength welding. Usually, ultrasonic needle welding is adopted, and in some cases, holes will also be punched on the diaphragms.
Advantages
High performance, such as polymer HDPE technology, etc.
Geocells adopt polymer HDPE technology and possess advantages like low long-term creep, softening and stress cracking properties, and a small coefficient of thermal expansion. It can maintain stable performance under different environmental conditions, providing reliable guarantees for engineering projects.
Water permeability and moisture retention, rainwater collection, and runoff reduction.
Geocells have an open area of 98% and can collect rainwater and reduce runoff. They utilize a self-contained drainage and pressure relief structure, which is able to retain more moisture and create a favorable environment for vegetation growth.
Soil conservation, control of surface soil, and prevention of erosion.
Geocells can control surface soil and effectively prevent erosion. In various engineering applications, they can protect the soil from being eroded by natural factors such as water flow and wind, maintaining the stability of the soil.
Soil fixation, supplementation and increase of soil strength.
Geocells can supplement the tensile strength of the soil, increase the shear strength of the soil, and adapt to the micro-deformation of the foundation. They can improve the bearing capacity of the soil under different soil conditions and ensure the stability of the engineering projects.
Load function alteration, ability to withstand cyclic loads, and stress reduction.
Geocells can withstand cyclic loads more than 10 times and reduce the load stress by over 30%. They can reduce both local and overall settlements of the foundation and improve the safety and durability of engineering projects.
Anti-erosion, adaptation to water flow, and multiple protection.
Geocells can adapt to continuous or intermittent water flow. Through multiple protections such as vegetation, fillers, and geomembranes, they can change the geometry of the river channel, regulate the water flow, and use elastic structures to absorb the impact of water flow and surges.
Functions
Dealing with subgrade in cut-and-fill sections and solving the problem of uneven settlement.
When constructing an embankment on a slope where the natural ground slope is steeper than 1:5, steps should be dug at the base of the embankment. For high-grade highways, the width of the steps is generally 2 meters. By laying geocells on the horizontal plane of each layer of steps and utilizing their own vertical lateral confinement and reinforcement effects, the problem of uneven settlement can be better solved.
Used for subgrades in sandy and windy areas to ensure the stiffness and strength of the subgrade.
For subgrades in sandy and windy areas, low embankments should be mainly adopted, and the filling height is generally not less than 0.3 meters. The use of geocells can play a lateral confinement role for loose fillers, ensuring that the subgrade has high stiffness and strength within a limited height to withstand the load stress of large vehicles.
Reinforcing the backfill of abutment subgrades to reduce uneven settlement.
The use of geocells can better achieve the purpose of abutment backfill reinforcement. Sufficient friction can be generated between the geocells and the filler, effectively reducing the uneven settlement between the subgrade and the structures, and ultimately effectively alleviating the early impact damage to the bridge deck caused by the "vehicle bumping at bridge abutment" disease.
Used for subgrades in permafrost areas to ensure the filling height and strength.
When constructing a fill subgrade in permafrost areas, the minimum filling height should be reached to prevent the occurrence of frost boiling or the decline of the upper limit of the frozen layer, which may lead to excessive settlement of the embankment. The unique vertical reinforcement effect and the effective overall lateral confinement of geocells can ensure the minimum filling height in some special sections to the greatest extent and make the fill have high-quality strength and stiffness.
Dealing with collapsible loess subgrades and improving subgrade stability.
When expressways and first-class highways pass through sections of collapsible loess or loess with good compressibility, or when the allowable bearing capacity of the foundation of a high embankment is lower than the pressure of the combined vehicle load and the self-weight of the embankment, the subgrade should also be treated according to the bearing capacity requirements. At this time, the superiority of geocells is undoubtedly demonstrated, as it can improve the stability of the subgrade.
Used in saline soil and expansive soil areas to meet construction requirements.
For expressways and first-class highways constructed with saline soil and expansive soil, reinforcement measures are adopted for the shoulders and slopes. The vertical reinforcement effect of geocells is excellent among all reinforcement materials. It has excellent corrosion resistance and can fully meet the requirements for constructing high-grade highways in saline soil and expansive soil areas.
