Stevens - NZGS2021 - Submission - Ref-0200 - Create High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) %
Stevens - NZGS2021 - Submission - Ref-0200 - Create High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) %
Stevens - NZGS2021 - Submission - Ref-0200 - Create High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) %
M.J.D. Dobie
Tensar International Limited, Jakarta, Indonesia
H. Barnes
Hugh Barnes Consultants, New Plymouth
ABSTRACT
Tensar uniaxial geogrids are molecularly oriented polymeric grid structures developed for tension
resistant inclusions in soil walls and slopes. When stressed the geogrid must be capable of
sustaining the load without rupture over the design life of the structure. The earliest use of high-
density polyethylene grids in civil engineering applications was in the 1960’s in order to reinforce
volcanic ash fill in a railway embankment in Japan. This paper describes the design considerations
for geogrid used in a reinforced soil wall at the New Plymouth Mail Centre that was constructed in
January 1995. These walls incorporating a treated timber facing were built with local Taranaki
Ash. Part of the wall up to 3.5 m high was deconstructed in February 2019 as the site was being
developed into a two-storey commercial building and no longer required the truck access that the
reinforced soil wall formed part of. Sections of geogrid were removed from the wall and sent to the
manufacturer for testing. The results of the testing are presented and compared to the original
design considerations.
1 INTRODUCTION
The ability to maintain specified material characteristics over a selected period is defined as durability. The
service life of a structure incorporating geosynthetic reinforcement depends for a large part on the durability
of the geosynthetic. In all cases the primary resin used in the manufacture of the geosynthetic is mixed or
formulated with antioxidants, screening agents, fillers or other materials to satisfy the service life for the
intended application. In the context of geosynthetics used for soil reinforcement a service life of up to 120
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years is required. The likely environmental and in-service conditions need to be considered when
determining the durability of the individual geosynthetic reinforcement product.
This paper focuses on the durability requirements and testing of one specific geosynthetic reinforcement and
compares the predicted performance against the results from testing of exhumed product after 24 years of
service.
2.1 Polyethylene
The polymer polyethylene (PE) is a polyolefin belonging to the hydrocarbon group. The different types of
PE used in the manufacture of geosynthetics are mainly linear co-polymers formed by catalytic
polymerisation under low temperature and pressure (Rodriguez, 1996). PE is categorised into the following
classes found in the manufacture of geosynthetics:
High density polyethylene (HDPE), density >0.940 g/ml
Medium density polyethylene (MDPE), density = 0.926 – 0.940 g/ml
Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), density = 0.919 – 0.925 g/ml
The physical and mechanical properties of PE are highly sensitive to density and the selection of PE class is
governed by the function of the geosynthetic product.
Durability of PE is dependent on the kind of polymer, morphology, residual heavy metals from catalysts and
chemical impurities from the polymer processing.
Geogrids for use in soil reinforcement are manufactured from HDPE are typically formulated as shown in
Table 1.
Table 1: Composition of HDPE Geogrid by weight percentage.
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polymer becomes more orientated resulting in a much denser amorphous phase and higher crystallinity
which retards diffusion of oxygen into the polymer.
Long-term antioxidants are an additive to the manufacturing process of polyethylene products to retard
oxidation over the service life of the product at the service temperature.
Manufacturers of HDPE (pipe, geomembrane etc) have their own masterbatch formulations for production
that include antioxidants to meet the specific environmental exposure requirements for the intended
application and carbon black to resist the effects of ultra-violet light. There is however no guidance on what
minimum values are allowable for the polymer used in the manufacture of HDPE uniaxial geogrids.
PD ISO/TR 20432:2007, Guidelines for the determinations of the long-term strength of geosynthetics for soil
reinforcement, is the current practice in Europe which states:
• The durability of the reinforcing element shall be based on life-time assessment according to the
guidance in PD ISO/TR 20432:2007. Durability screening tests are not acceptable for predicting
durability and associated reduction factors for the full design lifetime.
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14030:2001 state “the data obtainable are suitable for screening purposes but not for deriving performance
data such as lifetime, unless supported by further evidence”.
Therefore, in order to compliment the durability screening tests carried out on Tensar geogrids, it is
important that life-time prediction studies are carried out, following guidance as given in PD ISO/TR
20432:2007 as mentioned in the previous section. Lifetime prediction studies can take a variety of forms
including long term accelerated exposure tests in various environments, normally carried out at high
temperature, and sometimes at high pressure. However, another important source of information on life-time
performance comes from testing exhumed samples of geogrid which have been in service for extended
periods of time. The case study described in this paper is a very good example of such an investigation.
Property Value
Cohesion 20kPa
There were no Atterberg limits presented in the soils report however a value of >40 for plasticity index (PI)
has been reported for volcanic ash found in the Taranaki region (Wesley, 1992).
Soils derived from andesitic ash from Mt Taranaki typically have a pH of between 5.5 to 6.0.
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40mm asphalt Security
150mm M/4 base fence
100mm SE40 sub-base
200 210.5
2700 gabion
The properties of Tensar SR55 used in the design of the reinforced soil are detailed in Table 3.
Table 3: Properties of Tensar SR55
Property Value
Polymer HDPE
Figure 2: Single rib load strain test results for strain rate of 64mm/minute
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The tests at 100mm/minute were well in excess of the specification requirements (see Table 4) although there
was more variation (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Single rib load strain test results for strain rate of 100mm/minute
Some of the grid was quite bent and distorted so that some variation could be a consequence of the
exhumation, packing and sending to United Kingdom through the post.
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4 CONCLUSION
The design of reinforced soil retaining walls using polymeric reinforcement must consider the long-term
durability properties predicted from real time investigations and accelerated tests. The challenge facing the
Industry is that if a geosynthetic reinforcement material is HDPE then there is a common notion that
published durability data for high quality products may be assumed to apply to all HDPE products, provided
that they have similar appearance and quality control data. However, this is far from the actual case as
durability of HDPE polymer is influenced by resin quality, additives incorporated into the masterbatch and
the manufacturing process. The geomembrane industry has undergone a lot of changes introducing rigorous
manufacturing and installation quality control standards as the result of a number of costly failures. Adequate
durability testing of polymeric geogrids is essential to cover the expected environmental conditions to give
designers confidence that the polymeric reinforcement will meet the service life requirements. The advice
provided in PD ISO/TR 20432:2007 represents the current state-of-the-art in European practice, and as
outline in Section 2, frequently quoted durability screening test results are not appropriate for determining
life-time predictions nor reduction factors to take into account environmental effects in design. This can
only be done by life-time prediction tests, either using accelerated long-term laboratory tests or by recovering
samples which have been in service for extended periods of time. The results from the case study presented
here add to the knowledge and growing body of data concerning durability of HDPE geogrids.
The results on the exhumed samples of Tensar SR55 geogrid show no loss in tensile strength over the 24
years of service life and support the durability testing that the manufacturer has carried out on their range of
uniaxial geogrids to justify the partial factors applied for durability in reinforced soil wall designs.
5 REFERENCES
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