Tensar International, the global market leader in the supply and manufacture of geogrid solutions for soil reinforcement and ground stabilisation, has announced the launch of TriAx™ geogrid – the most significant advance in ground stablisation technology for 25 years.

Tensar, the original inventors of geogrid technology, has spent six years perfecting the innovative new structure to achieve significantly improved aggregate confinement and soil stabilisation properties compared to conventional bi-axial geogrids.

The TriAx geogrid is formed using the most stable geometric shape – the equilateral triangle – as opposed to the rectangular or square structure that makes up the conventional bi-axial product. Extensive independent trials have shown it to have superior performance in multi-directional stiffness and aggregate confinement, enabling a reduction in granular layer thickness. It also has the potential to achieve cost-in-use savings.

John Kiely, commercial director at Tensar International UK said, “We are very excited about TriAx, which we believe will eventually become the new standard for geogrid technology. All the comparative testing has confirmed the performance of TriAx as superior to conventional bi-axial geogrids.

“TriAx sets proven geogrid performance standards at a new level. It’s not just an enhancement of an existing bi-axial geogrid but a true revolution.”

The new TriAx geogrid’s unique configuration is the result of redeveloping and improving the key structural elements of the geogrid. In particular, deeper ribs with a concave profile maximise the aggregate confinement and create a mechanically stabilised composite structure with greatly increased trafficking performance and load spreading capability.

TriAx promises improved performance and cost savings for a variety of ground stabilisation applications including unpaved roads and permanent paved roadways, as well as differential settlement on weak or variable sub-grades for housing developments.

Comprehensive independent trials were conducted by the Pavement Research Centre at the University of Nottingham, the Transport Research Laboratory and the UK Building Research Establishment (BRE). The performance of TriAx was exceptional in trafficking tests and during field trials by groundworks contractors. Large-scale bearing capacity tests showed that the increased stiffness and confinement provided by TriAx results in even greater load distribution capacity.