maxit LWA Geotechnical Fill
Civil Engineering
A 1 2 0 St a n s t e d to B ra i n t re e m a xi t P rovi d e s Low We i g h t S o l u t i o n ENGINEERS for a major trunk road project specified LWA lightweight aggregate from maxit to meet construction challenges and speed up progress. By using the versatile lightweight expanded clay granules, Balfour Beatty was able to reduce the amount of piling needed for bridges and to substantially cut the loading on three large diameter drains carrying surface water from Stansted Airport. Working on behalf of Essex County Council to designs by WS Atkins Consultants Ltd, Balfour Beatty was able to reduce earth pressure on the bridge and a nine metre embankment by some 75%, when compared with traditional fill materials (Class 1 or 6N). LWA was used to backfill abutments of a bridge carrying the new 15-mile A120 trunk road from Stansted to Braintree with around 1,000m3 completed in just two days, using just one small excavator to spread and compact the fill.
maxit Building Products Ltd, The Heath, Runcorn Cheshire WA7 4QX Tel: +44 (0)1928 515656 Fax: +44 (0)1928 576792 Web: www.maxit-uk.co.uk Email: sales@maxit-uk.co.uk
The reduced loading achieved using LWA allowed CFA piling to be used instead of bored piles due to the shorter length required. This had the added advantage of eliminating the use of a support fluid, which would have been necessary with bored piles. Further abutment backfilling using LWA for a second bridge will take place later in the contract. In the second stage, some 8,000m 3 of LWA is being used to form an embankment over three existing large drainpipes – two 1,650mm and one 1,800mm diameter – which are the main surface water outfalls
from the airport. Conventional fill would have placed undue loading on the pipes with a likelihood of them collapsing. In addition to solving the loading issues, Balfour Beatty also found LWA quicker to place and compact - with deliveries reduced to just one fifth of the number required when using conventional aggregate fill - allowing faster progress and a shorter completion schedule. Explains Balfour Beatty Design Manager Martin Graham: “The main reason for using LWA for the structural backfill for the bridge abutment and the embankment was to reduce loading. The speed of use and the reduced environmental impact because we needed fewer loads were welcome bonuses.” maxit LWA is approved for both general fill and structural backfill applications by the Highway Agency. LWA is totally natural and is made from pure clay, which is expanded to form small, lightweight granules with a honeycomb core to produce a density approximately 25% that of traditional aggregates.