High Density Closed Cell Foam Blocks: Civil Engineering with Foamex

High density closed cell foam blocks by Foamex have yielded outstanding results for a wide range of civil engineering projects across Australia. From roads, bridges to car parks, Foamex proves to be the number-one choice for innovative polystyrene towards developing a better, more sustainable built environment.

High Density Closed Cell Foam Blocks for Civil Engineering
In 1972, the Norwegian Public Roads Authorities adopted the use of EPS as a lightweight filling material in road embankments. This project has been monitored and reported on over the years to come for being pivotal to the role of polystyrene in civil engineering applications today.

The Norwegian Public Roads Authorities is the government agency responsible for all state and county public roads across the country. For the reconstruction of road fills, contractors used to lay a 3m thick coat of peat to rest above 10m of soft marine clay. This method ensured a settlement rate of 200mm per year.

When the Norwegian Public Roads Administration ruled the switch to EPS, it marked a milestone in civil engineering on the global scale. Replacing 1m of ordinary fill material with two layers of 0.5m-thick EPS blocks resulted in successfully halted settlements. In the same measure, contractors were able to achieve a density nearly 100 times lighter than the replaced materials.

Authorities in several countries have since transitioned to EPS in building roads across soft ground, as well as for other construction purposes where low loads are required. Aside from reduced vertical loads, EPS has also been found out to allow for reduced horizontal loads, simplified designs, foundations placed directly on EPS, and streamlined construction time. From Europe and North America, EPS has made its way to the Australian market with Foamex at the forefront.