TEXTILES.ORG
Tensar International announces the release of the next generation in its portfolio of geosynthetic solutions: InterAx geogrids. Since Tensar invented geogrids in the 1970s, the products have earned a reputation as the optimal way to address poor soil conditions and stabilize aggregate in roadways and other critical paved surfaces to enhance longevity and performance. InterAx is Tensar’s latest and most substantial advancement in geogrid technology and is the company’s highest performing product to date.
Tensar has introduced InterAx at a critical time for global infrastructure, which is under increased stress due to the combination of budget constraints, increasing costs, scarcity of construction materials and greater variability in service conditions due to climate change. Improving the resiliency of roads and other critical infrastructure is one of the primary benefits of using InterAxas it sets a new standard of performance in creating more stable and durable foundations to withstand greater loads and increasingly variable conditions.
Tensar is dedicated to protecting our infrastructure by planning for and mitigating the effects of unforeseen events and accelerating recovery. InterAx enhances infrastructure resiliency in conditions, such as:
- Storms and floods: Saturated subgrades reduce the structure’s load capacity, causing a loss of support and premature failures. InterAx strengthens the pavement materials, reduces stresses on the subgrade and enhances uniformity of foundations, allowing the subgrade to recover post-flood and mitigating the reduced load-carrying capacity.
- Frost heave and expansive soils: Volumetric changes of these problematic soil types can lead to failures due to sudden or continuous movement over time. InterAx reduces the effects of these damaging forces, minimizing strain in the pavement layers, and encourages top-down failure of the pavement, so it can be repaired cost-effectively.
- Liquefiable soils: Liquefaction during earthquakes creates unstable conditions resulting in potential catastrophic failure of the structure. Foundations stabilized with InterAx provide proven support in the presence of these conditions, cost-effectively mitigating the effects of liquefaction during shock events and preventing loss of life.
- Recovery and rebuilding: When the worst occurs, conditions are often challenging when it’s time to rebuild, and an expedient recovery is critical. InterAx helps the work get started and finished more quickly and safely, reducing restoration times.
InterAx uses advanced technology to achieve better performance: Its optimized geometry and advanced material science improve compaction, accommodate a greater variety of fill materials and restrict movement of granular materials to maintain stiffness over time.
“Instead of having one geometric aperture shape, the innovative InterAx product has three,” says Mark Wayne, Ph.D., P.E., Director of Application Technology and Engineering for Tensar International. “It allows more particles to interact with the geogrid itself, causing greater penetration of aggregate and more resistance to lateral movement of the stone within the aggregate layer. Tensar’s extensive research and development process has resulted in Interax, a geogrid that will save clients considerable time and money, and reduce the overall carbon footprint of their construction projects.”
InterAxhelps achieve considerable construction cost savings by stabilizing pavement foundations with reduced quantities of aggregate fill. The product is particularly useful in areas with soft soils where contractors would typically need to use more gravel to achieve a stable working surface. Using InterAx, contractors can achieve the same results with less fill. In cases where life-cycle cost is the primary driver, InterAx can be used to achieve greater durability and longer lifespans without increasing costs. In either case, the application of this state-of-the-art solution helps achieve design objectives more efficiently, resulting in reduced impacts to both the local community and the environment.
InterAx is more than just a new geogrid product. A major part of its development has been the creation of new design methods, which precisely quantify the performance of stabilized aggregate layers in multiple applications. Tensar has also introduced a major update to its design software and app, Tensar+, to help engineers design with and specify InterAx. Tensar+ also includes tools to help users understand the total value of the InterAx engineered solution, including initial and life-cycle cost savings, time savings and sustainability metrics. Additionally, Tensar experts are readily available to work alongside contractors, engineers and public agencies to provide site-specific solutions to each project’s unique challenges. InterAxoffers new opportunities to effectively replace aging infrastructure while reducing project costs. Visit TensarCorp.com/InterAx for more information about Tensar InterAx geogrid or to schedule a site assessment for your next project.