What Is Geocell and How Is It Used?

What is geocell? Geocell is a geosynthetic material made by joining strips into a cellular structure, designed to be filled with soil.

Geocell is also known for its good durability and environmental friendliness, making it well suited to infrastructure and other civil engineering projects.

Geocell installation

Geocell relies on the confinement provided by each of its cells, and the system is widely used in construction and civil engineering projects. Geocell is used to stabilize and protect the ground surface, and the stiffness it creates distributes loads more evenly.

What Is Geocell? A Definition

Geocell has a hollow, three-dimensional honeycomb-like design, so it can follow the terrain contours and accommodate differential settlement. Geocell is also relatively cheaper than other systems, and its maintenance costs are not high.

Geocell is also favoured for its relatively low carbon footprint, and the infill aggregate it requires can even be recycled material.

Geocell applications include protection of fill and cut slopes, facing for geosynthetic-reinforced slopes, revegetation of eroded slopes and soil stabilization.

The History of Geocell

Geocell was first developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, originally to stabilize desert roads used by military vehicles. Geocell has kept evolving and is now made from more durable materials such as HDPE or NPA. These materials have become the preferred choice for producing strong, lightweight geocell structures.

History of geocell (Source: https://geosyntheticsmagazine.com)

Advances in technology have helped create stronger geocell structures with the help of composite alloys of polyimide nanofibres dispersed in a polyethylene matrix. The result is a stronger, more durable material.

What Geocell Is Made From

Geocell is usually made from HDPE or NPA. The material is joined using ultrasonic welding technology to create a strong yet lightweight structure.

How to Use Geocell

To use it, the area where the geocell will be placed must be measured carefully to avoid any gaps. The geocell is then delivered to the construction site.

The geocell is then placed in the predetermined location. Each section is stretched open until it covers the required area. Once the entire surface is covered, infilling begins. Each cell is filled with suitable infill material, which is then compacted.

Adding geocell to a structure increases its density and flexibility. Its resistance to heavy loads also improves. Geocell is a good choice for improving construction quality.

This shows that geocell is a cellular confinement system. As part of the structure, the density and flexibility of the material increase, and so does its resistance to greater loads. Would you like to include geocell in your construction project?