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