Year: 2014

Location: Cergy pontoise

Country: France

Volume: 450 m³ expanded clay 4-10 mm

Owner Builder: Local government

Contractor: Uretek

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Problem / Solution

The local district road D203, located north of Paris, was afflicted by several cavities in the road pavement. This was due to tractions caused by holes underneath the surface of the road. To avoid a total renovation of the road, expanded clay was blown into the cavities to consolidate the road.

Experience

Blowing the expanded clay aggregates into the cavities enabled the contractor to work in the fastest way as possible and to consolidate the road.

Why expanded clay?

The presence of a hole underneath the road concentrated tractions and compressive strains that could conclude with the general collapse of the road structure. Using expanded clay  avoids the concentration of the strains thanks to its high grain resistance that can redistribute the force diagram. By blowing expanded clay it is possible to fill hard to reach places. The expanded clay aggregates will fill cavities and obtain high drainage capacity, good resistance and a stiffness similar to that of the natural original ground.