Nilex Inc. provides geosynthetic materials and solutions for roads, retaining walls, erosion control, drainage, containment, and ground modification. It has office locations across western Canada. The document discusses Nilex's product applications and geosynthetic functions such as separation, filtration, drainage, subgrade improvement, and granular base reinforcement. It also provides examples of Nilex's geosynthetic solutions used in infrastructure projects.

1. NILEX Inc.
Materials and Construction
for Earth and Water

2. Nilex Applications:
Roads (Paved & Unpaved)
Woven & Nonwoven Geotextiles; Geogrids; Paving Membranes &
Reinforcements.
MSE Systems
(Mechanically Stabilized Earth Retaining Walls & Slopes)
Precast Concrete Panels; Modular Concrete Blocks;
Steepened Slopes – vegetated & rock-faced.
Erosion & Sediment Control
Erosion Blankets; Silt Fence; Geo-Ridge; Articulated Concrete,
Cellular & Gabion Revetments.
Drainage
Strip Drains; Sheet, Wall & Deck Drains; Multi-Flow; Weeping Tile.
Containment
Geomembranes & Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs).
Ground Modification
Wick Drains & Earthquake Drain Installation.

3. Office Locations:
Edmonton-Head Office
Calgary
Burnaby
Vernon
Grand Prairie
Saskatoon
Winnipeg

4. GEOSYNTHETIC FUNCTIONS
• Separation
• Filtration
• Drainage
• Subgrade
Improvement
• Granular Base
Reinforcement

5. Non-Woven Geotextiles
• Needlepunched
• Spunbonded

6. SEPARATION FUNCTION
Without Geosynthetic With Geosynthetic

7. Separation Function
• For subgrade CBR’s <3, benefit roughly
equal to 150 mm of base gravel that would
otherwise be contaminated

8. FILTRATION

9. FILTRATION
APPLICATION

10. GEOSYNTHETICS
PRODUCT TYPE
FUNCTION NON-WOVEN WOVEN GEOGRID
FABRIC FABRIC
BASE REINFORCEMENT
SUBGRADE IMPROVEMENT
SEPARATION
FILTRATION
DRAINAGE

11. IN-PLANE DRAINAGE
Fabric

12. Reinforcement Functions
• Subgrade Improvement
– Tension membrane - high deformation
– Geogrids & Geotextiles
• Granular Base Reinforcement
– Lateral interlock - low deformation
– Geogrids only

13. Subgrade
Improvement

14. Pavement Systems
for
Subgrade Improvement
Base Reinforcement

15. Base vs. Subgrade

16. A Geogrid System Changes The
Dynamics of Load Interaction With the
Subgrade

17. Granular Base Reinforcement
Lateral Interlock

18. Confinement

20. Subgrade Improvement

22. Local Success Stories
Alaska Highway / Ft. Nelson / Nov.6, 2003

23. An Everyday Problem

24. The Solution
Step 1 - Place Geogrid Over Subgrade

25. The Solution
Step 2 - Place Fill Over Geogrid

26. Field Test - Gravel Road Construction
Over Very Soft Soils
Performed By:
Steve L. Webster - U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers
January 1996

27. Typical Northern Application
Subgrade Improvement

33. Geogrid Installation
18”
Lift

34. Alaska Hwy/Clarke Bypass Ft Nelson
Problem - to reduce section and save material costs.

35. Solution - BX 1200 - 100 mm savings over 47,000 m2 = $170,000 saved
plus TBR of 5.0 for lower lifecycle costs

36. Cold Weather Application Clarke
Bypass/ SYD’s Road / Ft. Nelson

37. Clarke Bypass - end dump on
existing fill and push forward

38. Syd’s Intersection/ snap ties

39. Syd’s Road

40. Princess Ave./ Ft. St. John
Original Design Structure 50mm AC, 150mm of 19mm base, 300 mm of 40 mm base

41. Princess Ave - Original design includes perforated perimeter subdrain c/w drain rock
and Amoco 4551 Geotextile on subgrade compacted to 95%

42. The Problem - Due to poor subgrade conditions of saturated silty clays the subase
needed to be increased by 400 mm but unable do to so due to N.G. lines.

43. Princess Ave - The Solution - BX 1100 and Amoco 4551 saving sub- exc. of 300 mm
with associated costs and time on uncompacted subgrade

44. Princess Ave./ Ft. St. John

45. Princess Ave / Urban Systems/
Amec/ DGS/ City crews

46. Dawson Creek Walmart - Problem - reduce section and create uniform bearing for
parking lot 25,000 m2 BX 1200

47. Dawson Creek Walmart - Solution
BX1200 - reduce base course thickness by 150 mm and
25 mm reduction in base course - savings = $ 105,600.00
(net savings = cost of geogrid - cost of gravel savings)

48. Additional Success Stories
Annually - City of Dawson Creek - various roads
Annually - City of Ft. St. John - virtually all total reconstruct
roads
2002 - Presporto Road - 2800 m2, BX 1100
2003 - Pouce Coupe Sideroad 35,000 m2 of BX1100 and
geotextile
Annually - DGS Contractors - ongoing basis for public and
private projects
2002 - Beaton River/Dawson const. - 263,000 m2 Amoco 4551
Geotextile
MOT - on going basis

49. Design
Example

50. Confinement

51. 1992 Corps of Engineers
Several Grids Tested

52. 1992 Corps of Engineers
Several Grids Tested
Control Section
 No Geogrid
 Severe Rutting
Tensar Section
 BX1200 Geogrid
 Rutting Controlled
Both Sections
 2” of ACP
 6” of Base
 Subgrade CBR=3
 2,016 Passes

53. 1992 Corps of Engineers Results
Traffic Benefit Ratio (TBR)
= Ratio of reinforced/unreinforced traffic repetitions
5 4.7
2” Asphalt Concrete
14” Aggregate Base
4 Subgrade CBR = 3 3.4
Rut Criteria = 1”
3
TBR
2 1.6
0.9 0.9 1
1
0
Grid A Grid B Control Grid D Grid E Grid F