STREET AND ROAD CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL
Foam glass gravel is a lightweight gravel-like filling material with insulating and draining properties. It is more widely used in the construction of infrastructure buildings on low load capacity grounds in cold climate. Foam glass gravel is one of the lightest filling materials which at the same time has high load capacity. It is easy to use and is very light (approximately 200 kg per m3). It is more than seven times lighter than regular stone gravel.
As a cold insulation material, one layer of glass foam gravel corresponds to four times thicker layer of dry sand. It significantly reduces the cost of excavation, speeds up the construction and reduces the amount of aggregates required. The use of glass foam gravel allows the pipelines to be installed well above the normal freezing level which reduces the need to support the trench. The weight mass of glass foam gravel is only 20% of the regular filling material with the same load capacity. It significantly reduces the risk of post-compaction and sinking. The layer of glass foam gravel has water barrier properties.
The installation of glass foam gravel does not require special equipment. Regular construction equipment and tools are used. Compared to tile insulation materials that require careful handling and precise prior works, the installation of glass foam gravel is very easy and does not require special training.
The pieces of foam glass gravel are polygonal with rough fracture surface. Due to the “self-locking” properties it has an extremely high angle of variation – up to 45°. It makes it more stable than round gravel, that in turn makes the material easy to handle and reduces the labour costs.
Glass foam gravel is made of recycled glass and it has a small carbon footprint. If the building or construction has finished its lifecycle, the glass foam gravel can be reused. Foam glass gravel can be used as a filling or insulating material for the construction of road, street and field facilities in the groundwater uptake areas.
FILLING MATERIAL FOR SITES, FIELDS and SPORTS FACILITIES
More and more construction work is done on weak soil. It is often forgotten that outdoor constructions can also put too much pressure on the soil below. Sinking can cause broken piping, not to mention the sinking of walking and driving surfaces. These problems can be avoided by considering the correct data and using the correct filling materials.
Glass foam gravel can be used as a light insulating material in outdoor constructions. It can be used in all lower construction levels on which wear and tear layers are put. Glass foam gravel has the water barrier properties.
Glass foam gravel is an indispensable material in the construction of complex urban space elements and skateboard ramps.
PRESSURE REDUCER
Glass foam gravel is indispensable when building on landslide-prone soils.
In retaining wall structures and embankments, the low bulk density of glass foam gravel and the high shear angle can significantly reduce the pressure on the soil or structures – so their strength can be significantly lower, which means significant savings, such as steel, concrete, formwork complexity and most importantly on labour cost.
Foam glass gravel construction puts 70-90% less pressure on the ground compared to regular filling materials. It allows to reduce the size of the construction site, use it more effectively or operate under cramped conditions.
INSULATION OF PIPELINES
In the case of high energy prices, it is particularly important to minimize losses in heat pipelines. Glass foam gravel can be used for simple additional insulation of existing pipelines or for proper thermal insulation and drainage when building new ones. The layer of glass foam gravel has water barrier properties.
