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Solmax® Mirafi® PET high strength woven geotextile is made from high tenacity polyester yarns with high long-term strength properties. It provides a cost-effective solution for greater and quicker stability of embankments constructed on soft foundations.
Mirafi PET is primarily used as a high strength reinforcement but also provides the secondary function of separation. It prevents the intermixing of soft foundation soils with granular fill materials while maintaining the structural integrity of the granular fill.
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WHY CHOOSE SOLMAX MIRAFI PET?
- High long term design strength with low creep effects
- Enables optimum embankment height over a minimum area and steeper side slopes
- Increase in construction speed with no loss of stability
- High Strength - with grades from 100kN/m to 2,000kN/m
- Custom roll lengths can be manufactured to facilitate ease of installation and reduce wastage on site
- Long term properties for proven performance over the lifetime of the structure as its used in the most complex infrastructure projects in the world
- Complies with all ANZ road authority requirements including certificate of conformance requirements
- Design support available
APPLICATIONS
Embankments
Basal Reinforced Embankments
Fine-grained saturated soils exist near most river estuaries and coastal areas around the world. However, these are also areas where infrastructure development, such as road and rail structures, tend to be concentrated most intensely. When constructing over such areas, embankment stability is a major design issue.
Modern day construction contracts do not permit time for stage construction techniques and land restrictions may not allow berm techniques to be used. Mirafi® PET is used as basal reinforcement to enable full embankment design heights to be achieved within the contractual period without sacrificing embankment stability.
Embankments Over Voids
Foundations that deform differentially when loaded can cause various problems. Examples are foundations with tunnels, voids and isolated soft areas. Localised differential deformations at foundation level can manifest at the surface of the embankment as a depression. Subsidence or collapse can also disrupt buried services.
When laid over such foundations, Mirafi PET can minimise the risk of foundation subsidence and collapse, and dramatically reduce the negative impact of such occurrences by maintaining serviceability until permanent repairs can be carried out.
Piled Embankments
Embankments and other soil structures constructed over soft and compressible foundations are sometimes designed to be supported by piles. A reinforced concrete capping slab will ensure that the embankment and surcharge load will fully transfer onto the piles.
Mirafi PET high strength woven geotextiles which can have tensile strengths of over 1,000kN/m, are used as long-term design reinforcement to span over the pile caps for the same purpose of load transfer onto the piles and is a more economical option than the reinforced concrete capping slab solution.
Marine Structures
Sedimentation is a process happening continuously in marine environments. This means that not only such foundations are generally soft but the upper most layers usually contain under-consolidated clay layers. To control stability Mirafi PET is used as basal reinforcement to earth-filled platforms, embankments, dykes and breakwaters.
Mirafi PET also provide an inward shear restraining force at the soft foundation interface; thereby reducing lateral mud heaves which can be problematic especially if there are adjacent structures sensitive to such movements.
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FUNCTION
Filtration
Geosynthetics can act as a filter by allowing water to move freely through while preventing the migration of fine particles. Often used to prevent soils from migrating into drainage aggregate or pipes while maintaining flow. Can also prevent soil erosion in coastal and riverbanks when used below loose stones or rocks and other material.
Reinforcement
Geosynthetics provides additional strength to soils and aggregate. Used to reinforce steep slopes, and to stabilise road or rail construction over weak and variable soils. Enables embankments to be constructed over very soft foundations and to build slopes at steeper angles than would be possible with unreinforced soil. Geosynthetics (or geogrids) are also used to bridge over voids that may develop below load bearing granular layers (roads and railways) or below cover systems in landfill applications.
Separation
Geosynthetics can be used to prevent the intermixing of soil types of different sizes in the construction of roads, railways, and embankments where the ground is soft and unstable to maintain the integrity of each material while allowing free passage of liquids or gases. Using a layer of geotextile to separate the soft ground from the fill material reduces the amount of fill required, increases the lifespan of the road or rail structure and cuts long-term maintenance costs.
