DENVER, CO--(Marketwired - May 14, 2014) - ACH Foam Technologies' EPS Geofoam was instrumental in construction of an ADA-compliant ramp at the Metra train Station platform on 35th Street in Chicago. White Sox Park is directly accessed from the new platform.
During the 2010 design phase for the station platform, architects had safety concerns about the elevation of the American with Disabilities (ADA)-compliant concrete. In addition, the aggressive construction schedule wouldn't allow for the settlement time conventional soil fill would require.
Architects turned to EPS Type 12 Geofoam to solve their design challenges and shorten the construction time. According to Dan Orlich, Metra's Construction Manager, "A great amount of time and labor was saved by not having to compact the lifts of traditional fill. Compensating for the drains within the ramp cells was a snap because on site cutting of the Geofoam was so easy." 31,300 cubic feet of Foam-Control® EPS Geofoam with Perform Guard® termite resistant treatment was installed as stairway and ramp fill for the Metra's 35th Street Station platform at the Chicago White Sox Stadium.
Meeting tight construction schedules has been a key benefit to using geofoam in many projects. Geofoam is commonly used in structural, earthworks, and commercial applications such as: retaining walls, parking structures, foundation and wall stabilization, green roofs, culvert and utility protection, floor elevation fill, walkways and ramps, stadium seating, and concrete void fill.
Geofoam Characteristics
- Lightweight - 1% of traditional earth materials
- Strong - compressive resistance @ 1% deformation ranges from 2.2 psi to 18.6 psi.
- Engineered - reduces labor and project costs
- Arrives at the job site prefabricated and ready to place
- Impervious to the elements - not subject to installation delays due to weather
- Retains its physical properties under engineered conditions of use
- Design Loads.
Design Loads
For most applications, long-term design loads should not exceed the linear elastic range of the geofoam. Combined live and dead load stresses should not exceed the compressive resistance at 1% strain. In general earthwork applications (such as levees, dikes, berms, etc.) uplift buoyancy force must be counteracted with overburden or restraint devices, such as geogrids, geomembranes, and hold down devices.
For more information visit ACH Foam Technologies or phone 800.525.8697.
