What is Geofoam?

Geofoam is expanded polystyrene manufactured into large light weight blocks.  The blocks vary in size and density depending on the requirement. Geofoam blocks are widely used as a filling material for various construction and infrastructure purposes.

Geofoam: A brief history

The first use of geofoam goes all the way back to 1972. It was first used to reduce settlements during the construction of Flom Bridge in Oslo, Norway. Geofoam helped in reducing the 20-30 cm. of annual settlement experienced in the area. Owing to the success of applying geofoam in the Oslo project, the first International Geofoam Conference was held in Oslo in 1985 which was attended by engineers to discuss the future of the product.

Application of Geofoam at I-15, Salt Lake City, Utah

Following Norway, the United States started experimenting with geofoam. Between 1997 to 2001, geofoam was used in the construction of interstate 15 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The use of geofoam proved to be beneficial for this project since the need to relocate or remold the utilities around the site area could be reduced massively which helped save a lot of time and money for the project.

In 1989, an increase in rainfall caused a landslide on Highway 160 between Durango and Mancos destroying some part of the highway. Geofoam was used  for side slop stabilization to avoid any future destructions. 84 % reduction in costs in the total project was seen because of the use of geofoam.

Seeing the success of usage of geofoam in the I-15 reconstuction project, Utah Transit Authority used geofoam embankment for its light rail TRAX and commuter rail lines – Frontrunner.

A new segment of highway 30 in Quebec used about 625000 cu.m. of geofoam from 2009 to 2012. Since the completion of such successful projects using geofoam, its use has been increasing in North America and subsequently the rest of the world.

India is not far behind in the use of Geofoam. Due to its cost effective approach for a project and the governments need to become more sustainable with road construction, the use of geofoam in road constructions in India is seeing a bright future.

Know more about Geofoam..

Geofoam is available in various sizes and can be cut as per the requirement on site. FOAMPRO blocks are our brand of geofoam blocks specifically designed as per the project requirement. Our blocks are usually available in sizes of 2 m. x 1 m. x 0.5 m. Check out FOAMPRO here http://penguinpolyfoam.com/product/geofoam/ In order to obtain more details about the properties and specifications of Foampro, request a brochure, get in touch with our team http://penguinpolyfoam.com/contact-us/