In addition to the application of geofoam as a lightweight fill solution for road construction, Zutari also provided a unique geocell solution for the founding and pavement design of the container yard at Pocket 2B of the Clairwood Logistics Park. This proved a more economical and viable solution for the container yard infrastructure compared to the rigid inclusions applied elsewhere on-site.
The 76.6 ha site in Durban, South Africa, is bordered by Transnet railway lines to the west and south, by a fully developed industrial area to the north and the M4 highway to the east. The development consists of a light industrial park and associated infrastructure.
Due to this being the first application of its kind in South Africa, Zutari received technical assistance from Steven Bartlett, Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Utah in the US. The EPS geofoam itself was supplied by Iso Moulders of Durban. Group Technical Manager Eric Axelrad explains that the product, branded as Geo Block™ Geofoam, is a lightweight alternative to conventional fill material such as natural soil, gravel, cobbles and crushed rock, which has dominated construction for centuries.
EPS geofoam is specified specifically for its soft soil remediation, slope stabilisation, lateral load reduction on retaining structures, structural void fill and buried utility protection. It offers major benefits in terms of construction schedules and project costs, and is designed and constructed to ASTM standards.
The design of the system required close trans-disciplinary collaboration between the Pavements, Civils and Geotechnical disciplines, as all of the components were intrinsically interconnected and affected how the system ultimately worked.
