Product category:
Insulation
News Release from: Vencel Resil | Subject: Fillmaster
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 17 October 2007
Prevent settlement with Fillmaster
Fillmaster, an Expanded Polystyrene product manufactured by Vencel Resil, is providing developers with a more robust and reliable solution to solving site settlement problems.
Increase in the number of homes being built on regenerated areas or brownfield sites has lead to a greater need for fill materials that will not result in settlement The weight of traditional fill materials can, in certain cases, have a detrimental effect on stability and can cause vertical and horizontal stresses in the underlying soil
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 29 Jan 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Often these problems do not become apparent until many months after the site has been completed and settlement has occurred, however the effects can be dramatic and very expensive for developers to correct.
The number of claims for compensation for roads and gardens that have "sunk" has increased significantly in recent years.
Although their homes are quite secure on their concrete piles, unhappy residents feel understandably concerned as they see their gardens or pathways shifting alarmingly downwards.
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Fillmaster by Vencel Resil was specified by structural engineers English Landscapes for the landscaping of the newly refurbished Rotunda Museum and gardens in Scarborough.
Fillmaster provides a lighter fill material
30m of Fillmaster 100 from Vencel Resil supplied to contractor Allerton Construction to be used as a hardcore replacement under the ground floor slabof a new electric sub station.
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Jabroof Slimfix from Vencel Resil is widely used across Northern Europe as it offers structural support whilst at the same time satisfying Building Regulations' U-value requirements".
Fillmaster, an Expanded Polystyrene product (EPS) manufactured by Vencel Resil, is providing developers with a more robust and reliable solution to solving site settlement problems.
EPS by its very nature is a lightweight material which has a high strength to weight ratio.
This means it is very easy to handle and does not require heavy lifting equipment, but still provides sufficient strength to create a secure and stable landscaped surface.
Adrian Walker, Technical Sales Manager - for Vencel Resil, explains: "EPS provides a tried and trusted solution for developers as it has been specified on many civil engineering projects where secure surfaces are paramount.
"The fact that EPS is now being widely used to support housing developments is testament to the reliability of the material and how well it has performed in preventing settlement in a number of high profile projects".
Fillmaster has been specified both in the initial construction of housing developments, but also as part of remedial works, as at Finney Park Drive in Preston.
Finney Park Drive is a small development of 30 detached properties, which were built on a site with no previous construction activity.
Fillmaster was used to provide remedial support for both the road and garden areas where settlement had occurred after the site was completed.
The houses themselves had been unaffected because of the piling used in their foundations.
Steve Rawlinson, Contracts Manager for Cheetham Hill Construction who carried out the remedial work, explains: "Originally an imported clay fill material was used to raise the ground level on the externals so that the drainage system would work efficiently.
However, what we subsequently discovered was that there was a layer of peat in the ground below the imported clay fill.
As the dense clay fill was added it gradually squeezed the water out of the peat, resulting in severe settlement on site".
Cheetham Hill subsequently purchased the site with a view to undertaking remedial work and making the development habitable.
Steve continues: "One of our engineers had used Fillmaster before and was confident that it would put the problem right and prevent any further settlement in the future.
Our first task was to calculate how much of the imported clay fill material we had to remove and then replace with the expanded polystyrene Fillmaster.
Removing the clay fill reduced the weight on the underlying layer of peat which minimised the 'squeezing' effect on its water content.
Replacing with Fillmaster, which is an extremely strong but lightweight material meant that we could achieve the same effect as the clay fill but without all the compressive weight on the layer of peat." In the end, Cheetham Hill Construction removed between 600 - 2400mm depth of clay fill and replaced it with two types of Fillmaster - type 150E was used under the gardens and Type 350E was used under the roadways.
Soil was placed on top and the roadway subsequently reconstructed on the Fillmaster blocks.
The total project required 4,000 cubic metres of EPS, which was effective in reducing the compressive action on the peat, whilst retaining the necessary strength to hold the landscaped surface.
Fillmaster from Vencel Resil is available in a range of grades that allows the appropriate compressive strength to be chosen to suit bespoke applications.
Its closed-cell structure means it inhibits water absorption and has an extremely stable construction.
As it is also resistant to insect, bacterial and fungal attack, Expanded Polystyrene is extremely robust and represents a long term solution.
Because of its lightweight properties, Fillmaster is ideal for use in the construction of steeper gradient structures.
With the current demands on land usage as part of PPG3, this is a vital benefit for the new generation of fill materials.
Fillmaster is suitable for a wide range of applications from landscaping applications, through to road construction, retaining walls, rail and bridge embankments and noise bunds.
The product is HCFC-free, non-toxic and fully recyclable.
It also allows for rapid construction as part of Modern Methods of Construction.
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