What is a UV Resistant Geogrid?

What is a UV Resistant Geogrid?

We've all seen them: those grids of mesh or plastic that you see on car parks to prevent churning up the ground under vehicles.uv resistant geogrid But unless you're an engineer, you probably didn't realise that the product in question was actually a geogrid.

These are incredibly versatile products, used in all sorts of different ways to reduce construction costs and extend project lifespans.uv resistant geogrid And they're not just for road construction: geogrids are used in retaining walls, soil stabilisation and even airport runways.

Geogrids are a type of polymer product that offer high strength at low elongation – which means that they can take loads and distribute them effectively across a wide area.uv resistant geogrid To achieve this, they have ribs that are connected at junctions (or nodes). Material filling up the apertures of a geogrid is pushed against the ribs and the junctions, which transfers the load to other ribs and spreads it over a larger area. However, this only works if the ribs and junctions have sufficient strength.

The key factor that determines whether a particular product will be effective or not is the direction of the ribs and the strength of the junctions. This is why biaxial geogrids, such as StrataGrid biaxial, are preferred for base stabilisation applications. This is because they have tensile strength in both the machine (or longitudinal) and transverse directions, offering better load distribution than uniaxial geogrids.

Other types of uv resistant geogrid include triaxial geogrids, which offer multidirectional strength by having extra diagonal ribs that form a hexagon pattern of triangles. These extra ribs increase the in-plane stiffness of the geogrid and improve its performance in soft soils. However, they aren't recommended for use in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls or for roads because their tensile strength is lower than that of uniaxial products.

A biaxial geogrid is also a good choice for use in MSE walls, as it will help reduce the amount of aggregate needed by distributing the load over a greater area. This can cut construction and maintenance costs by up to 50%, while also improving the stability of the wall structure.

In heavy silt applications, it is generally recommended to put a layer of geotextile fabric over the geogrid to separate the subgrade and base materials. This will ensure that the silt doesn't travel up through the geogrid and weaken it over time. Some manufacturers offer a composite product that combines a biaxial geogrid with a geotextile, providing both separation and stabilisation in one roll.

For projects where you're looking for a cost-effective solution that will deliver long-term performance, it's worth considering a uv resistant geogrid from a specialist manufacturer like Wrekin. Their unique CellTrack range combines a biaxial geogrid and a geotextile fabric in the same panel, offering both separation and stabilisation in a single product that can save you time and money during installation and throughout the project lifecycle.

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