Geofoam Block Is Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Or Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Manufactured Into Large Lightweight Blocks. The Primary Function Is To Provide A Lightweight Void Fill Below A Highway, Bridge Approach, Embankment Or Parking Lot. EPS Minimizes Settlement On Underground Utilities. It is Also Used In Much Broader Applications, Including Lightweight Fill, Green Roof Fill, Compressible Inclusions, Thermal Insulation, And (When Appropriately Formed) Drainage, The cross-sectional geometry of an individual tube typically has a simple geometric shape (circle, ellipse, hexagon, octagon, etc. It is used in the embankments around the Flom Bridge in an effort to reduce settlements. Prior to installing geofoam, this area experienced 20–30 centimeters of settlement annually causing extreme roadway damage, XPS was used to create highway side Geofoam Block was used to create highway side slope stabilization to prevent any similar issues. The use of geofoam versus conventional restoration resulted in an 84% reduction to the total cost of the project to prevent any similar issues. The use of geofoam Block versus conventional restoration resulted in an 84% reduction to the total cost of the project, Utility Protection is possible by using geofoam to reduce the vertical stresses on pipes and other sensitive utilities. Reducing the weight on top of a utility by using XPS instead of a typical soil prevents utilities from potential issues, such as collapses
Advantages of using geofoam Block include:
Low density/high strength: Geofoam is 1% to 2% the density of soil with equal strength.[3]
Predictable behavior: EPS allows engineers to be much more specific in the design criteria. This is very different than other lightweight fillers, such as soil, that can be very variable in composition.
Inert: it will not break down, so it will not spread into surrounding soils. This means that Styrofill block will not pollute the surrounding soil. it can also be dug up and reused.
Limited labor required for construction: styrofill block can be installed by hand using simple hand tools. This eliminates the investment and operating cost of heavy machinery.
Decreases construction time: XPS is quick to install and can be installed during any type of weather, day or night, resulting in faster installation time.