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Sustainability assessment of EPS-geofoam in road construction: a case study

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DOI: 10.1080/19397038.2018.1508319

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 International Journal of Sustainable Engineering

ISSN: 1939-7038 (Print) 1939-7046 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tsue20

Sustainability assessment of EPS-geofoam in road

construction: a case study

Dharmendra Kumar Srivastava, Amit Srivastava, Anil Kumar Misra & Vaishali
Sahu

To cite this article: Dharmendra Kumar Srivastava, Amit Srivastava, Anil Kumar Misra & Vaishali
Sahu (2018): Sustainability assessment of EPS-geofoam in road construction: a case study,
International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, DOI: 10.1080/19397038.2018.1508319

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING
https://doi.org/10.1080/19397038.2018.1508319

Sustainability assessment of EPS-geofoam in road construction: a case study

Dharmendra Kumar Srivastavaa, Amit Srivastavab, Anil Kumar Misrac and Vaishali Sahua
a
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The NorthCap University, Gurugram, India; bSchool of Civil Engineering, Lovely professional
University (LPU), Jalandhar, India; cDepartment of Geology, School of Physical Sciences, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

In the present study, construction procedure and performance assessment of expanded polystyrene Received 11 January 2018
EPS-geofoam layer, which is utilized in the repair and rehabilitation of road work, is demonstrated. EPS Accepted 11 July 2018
geo-foam application was suggested after observing excessive settlement and distress of approach KEYWORDS
roads near Cross drainage (C-D) works constructed on bypass road of an important National Highway EPS-geofoam; Humepipe
Project in India. EPS-geofoam was used as an alternative to earth backfill in approaches of newly culvert; Geotextile;
constructed culvert on the same bypass road on one side of the C-D work and, for comparison purpose; pavement; numerical
the other side of the C-D work was retained with existing earth backfill. EPS-Geofoam was convenient to analysis; embankment;
handle, easy to place and executed effeciently in terms of machineries and man power. Also, after 6 Hume pipe; earthen backfill;
months of observation, it was noted that Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) constructed over earthfill performance assessment;
material have shown sign of distress and longitudinal cracks were observed due to excessive settle- durable; economical
ment; on the other hand PQC constructed over EPS-geofoam was intact with no sign of distress.
Outcome of the study suggest the use of EPS-geofoam in similar situations as per the proposed
guidelines for construction as well as cross-sectional details and design recommended.

1. Introduction in the form of blocks or cellular honeycomb form. As

per ASTM D 4439, geofoam can be defined as block or
Construction of roads infrastructure has a very vital role in
planar rigid cellular foamed polymeric used in geotech-
economic development of a country. Sometimes construc-
nical engineering applications.
tion of road is needed over soft or loose soils (compressible
● In geotechnical engineering, EPS-geofoam is being tried
soils) that are considered unsuitable for supporting addi-
as an alternative to various soil fill applications where a
tional or repeated loads. To tackle such problems, engi-
lightweight material is required to reduce stresses on
neers/designers are required to explore the use of alternate
underlying soils or lateral pressure to retaining walls,
materials which are suitable in such condition and do not
abutments or foundations.
affect the construction schedule of the project. EPS-geo-
● When subsurface explorations reveal that a project’s
foam has been found as suitable alternate materials of
underlying soils are soft or unstable, the EPS-geofoam
conventional earthen materials to protect from overloading
may be utilised as specialised treatment options to allow
to underlying soils as well as adjacent structures due to its
completion of the desired final product.
light weight and high compressive resistance for support-
ing traffic loads. Use of EPS-geofoam in construction saves
time as EPS-geofoam is easy to handle without any need for 2. Historical development
special equipment. Use of EPS-geofoam does not require
Expanded polystyrene (EPS) was invented during second half of
time-consuming quality assurance/quality control (QA/
the 20th century. EPS-geofoam has been used successfully all
QC) testing because it is an engineered product and it
over the world. Some of the countries where EPS-geofoam has
arrives on site after having undergone rigorous QA/QC
been used are Norway, the Netherlands, the United States,
testing. EPS-geofoam is produced in blocks that can be
Japan, Germany and Malaysia. In the early 1970s, EPS has
cut into various shapes and sizes and a range of compres-
been used in highway construction in Europe. In Norway, the
sive resistances to suit specific project needs. As an engi-
EPS-geofoam was used in first road insulation project in 1965
neered product, it can be produced to obtain the required
and the first road embankment project in 1972 (Frydenlund and
compressive resistance. Following are some of the features
Aaboe 2001). In the Netherlands, first EPS-geofoam projects
of geofoam that makes it favourable to civil engineering
were started in the early 1970s (Van Dorp 1988). However, in
construction purposes:
the United States though EPS-geofoam was used much earlier
than in most of the countries, subsequent progress was slow and
● Geofoam is a cellular plastic material, also called
was first used in New York in 1996. The first EPS-geofoam
‘thermo-cole’, is a super light material which is available

CONTACT Anil Kumar Misra akmisra@cus.ac.in Head, Department of Geology, School of Physical Sciences, Sikkim University (A Central University), 6th mile,
Samdur, Tadong, Gangtok, Sikkim 737102, India
© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 D. K. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.

application in Japan was an embankment fill (470 cubic meters) wall, slope stabilisation purposes and basement insula-
in 1985 (Miki 1996). In Germany, EPS was utilised to minimise tions, where one or many of the properties of geofoam
the differential settlement of a bridge approach in March 1995 like density, compressive strength, damping, insulation
(Hillmann 1996), though EPS-geofoam was used for the first and cohesion are utilised in favour of these engineering
time in the 1960s as frost protection layers in pavement. applications. Although few failures have also been
Similarly, EPS-geofoam was first introduced in 1992 in reported in the literature (Horvath 1999), which is related
Malaysia (Mohamad 1996) as a lightweight fill material. to fire, buoyancy or floatation, pavement failures due to
differential icing, etc. should be taken into account while
utilising geofoams.
3. Properties of EPS-geofoam In construction, use of EPS-geofoam reduces the con-
struction schedules and lowers the overall cost of con-
Expanded polystyrene (EPS), also commonly called ‘EPS-
struction because it is easy to handle during construction,
geofoam’, is a generic term which is used to describe
often without the need for special equipment, and is
expanded polystyrene formed into low-density cellular
unaffected by occurring weather conditions. In addition,
plastic blocks to be used as lightweight, stable, inert,
EPS-geofoam can be easily cut and shaped on a project
environmentally safe fill. The manufacturing process
site, which further reduces jobsite challenges. EPS-geo-
begins by exposing polystyrene resin beads, containing a
foam is available in numerous material types that can
hydrocarbon blowing agent, to steam. The polymer soft-
be chosen by the designer for a specific application.
ens and the blowing agent expands the beads to form
From maintenance consideration, it requires proper pro-
‘pre-puff’. These pre-expanded beads are then placed in
tection from ultraviolet rays, buoyancy, termite attacks, che-
large rectangular-block moulds. Steam is injected into the
mical attacks from strong acids, heat and concentrated loads.
moulds, where the beads expand further and fuse
If a favourable environment and loading conditions are
together to form the final product. Figure 1 shows the
ensured, the lifespan of an EPS-geofoam can be 100 years.
schematic diagram of the construction sequence of EPS-
EPS-geofoam has the following advantages in various civil
geofoam (Elragi 2000).
engineering applications:
The life span of geofoam is about 70–100 years. Since
the early 1990s, geofoam has been a generic term for any
● Extremely light weight reduces lateral or bearing loads.
synthetic geotechnical material created in an expansion
● Predictable engineered performance.
process using a gas (blowing agent) resulting in a texture
● It can be used and applied and installed in various
of numerous closed cells. EPS-geofoam is a material with
weather conditions.
characteristics of lightweight, insulation and energy
● It maximises installation efficiency.
absorption. On the other hand, its strength and stiffness
● The EPS-geofoam materials are available in various
are comparable to some types of soils. Elgari (2006) did
densities to meet strength requirements.
extensive literature review on properties of EPS-geofoam
● It provides cost-effective solutions.
and its civil engineering applications and extensively
referred in the present text. Following Table 1 sum-
marises some of the mechanical properties of geofoam 4.1. Problem definition and objectives of case study
that are considered to be useful in terms of its geotech-
The present case study has been done on a bypass of
nical applications Table 1.
12 km length which comprises with nearly 35 numbers of
Hume pipe culverts/C-D works. These culverts have been
already constructed from one and half year to six months
4. Geofoam-design and construction considerations
before the observation taken. The approach road was also
In designing, EPS-geofoam has been utilised in variety of constructed as soon as the construction of these culverts
geotechnical applications, such as backfill in the retaining was complete to provide the access for construction

Figure 1. EPS-geofoam manufacturing process [source: internet (Elragi 2006)].

 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING 3

equipment or diversion of traffic to take up the work in

Elragi, Negussey, and Kyanka

main carriageway. After three months to one year of
traffic movement, considerable amount of settlement (8–

Frydenlund and Aaboe

ASTM D6817 (2017)
ASTM D6817 (2017)

ASTM D6817 (2017)

R-value measures the thermal resistance to substance and calculated as R = l/λ, where I = length of the specimen and λ ASTM D6817 (2017)
Reference
12 cm) has been noticed which has caused discomfort to

Nomaguchi (1996)

Van Dorp (1988)

plying traffic because of sudden jump near the C-D

Horvath (1994)
Sanders (1996)

Sheeley (2000)

Mandal (1995)
structures (Figure 2). At some locations, the settlement

(2000)

(2001)
was so much that traffic plying on such section was
impossible as it might have caused accident. Seeing the
severity of settlement, working agency was asked to rec-
tify that section up to desired riding quality level, but

is thermal conductivity in W/mK. Higher the R-value of material means better thermal resistance and insulating
even after such repair, again settlement has been noticed
on same location.
For the repair and rehabilitation work,authors selected a
location near to culvert approach, where the earthwork activ-
ity was in progress, just to ensure that EPS-geofoam can be
utilized, instead of regular embankment material. Before
bringing EPS-geofoam to the site, its quality control tests
were conducted in site laboratory as well as at manufacturer’s
Low resistance to strong acid; ants, termites or rodents can attack as burrow insects

lab. Geo-membrane was also procured from another source

which is required to wrap and cover the EPS blocks before
Only approximately 1% of the density of soil or rock at the same strength

covering it with pavement materials. All relevant tests were

Value ranges from a material like water to a rigid material like concrete

conducted in manufacturer’s laboratory and test results were

Description remarks

verified as indicated in Table 2. The objective of the present

Highly durable if properly protected, ensure life cycle of 100 years
At density of 20 kg/m3. Sample size influences the initial modulus

If the stress level is less than 30% of the strength of the material

study is to discuss the design and construction of EPS-geo-

foam utilised in the subgrade layer of a highway project and
reports the performance through experimental and numerical
Highly flammable and should not be exposed to heat
Good fusion reduces the amount of water absorption
Conservative, for both static and dynamic load tests

analysis.

4.2. Design and construction procedure

Figure 3 shows proposed design details of cross section of
road construction of four-lane divided carriageway with
paved shoulder without service road comprising of 7.0 m
carriageway width, 1.5 m paved shoulder, 0.5 m kerb
shyness and 2.0 m earthen shoulder with 4.0 m median
width. It can be noted that geofoam layer of 1200 mm
thickness is proposed at the bottom above the foundation
properties
At 1% strain

soil followed by 500 mm subgrade (sand layer), 150 mm

Minimum

granular sub base (GSB), 150 mm dry lean concrete

(DLC) and 310 mm pavement quality concrete (PQC).
For the construction purposes, the site was first pre-
pared by levelling the original ground level (OGL) using
Melting temperature 150°C

motor grader, and the level of compaction to be achieved

Numerical values

R-value (0.5–0.8 m2°K/W)

(relative compaction >95%) was confirmed by conducting

field density test using sand replacement method (as per
11.2–45.7 kg/m3

IS 2720- Part 28 1974) (Figure 4(a)) and comparing it

with the MDD (maximum dry density) value obtained in
5–7.75 MPa
15–128 kPa

69–517 kPa
Negligible
0.05–0.5

the laboratory using heavy compaction test (as per IS

3%–5%

2720- Part 8 1983). After achieving desired compaction,

0.5

the same OGL was levelled with grader and a levelling

Table 1. Properties of EPS-geofoam.

course of 4–6 in of sand was laid over OGL before

Resistance to chemical/termite

placing the EPS-geofoam block. Over levelling course of

sand, the geo-membrane sheet has been laid and fixed on
Initial elastic modulus
Compressive strength

each corner by nailing or by other means as per layout

Thermal resistance

Water absorption
Interface friction
Flexure strength

decided.
Poisson’s ratio

Flammability

A typical EPS-geofoam block measuring 0.6 m × 1.2 m × 2.4 m

Properties

Durability

at a density of 20 kg/m3 weighing 36 kg was easily carried by two

attack
Density

Creep

labours and placed into the position of lay out. In total, 12

numbers of such EPS blocks were brought at the site and have
4 D. K. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.

Figure 2. Distress and settlement in the approaches of the C-D culverts.

Table 2. Properties of geo-membrane (500 micron) and its acceptance as per geofoam block was done following the design criteria of embank-
specifications. ment fill near approaches with proper design guidelines contained
Actual Specified in NCHRP Report 529, Guideline and Recommended Standard
Properties values values Standard/specification
for Geofoam Applications in Highway Embankments. The step by
Thickness (mm) ASTM D5199 (2012)
Minimum average value 0.53 0.50 step construction procedure is depicted in Figure 4(b‒d).
Lowest individual reading 0.49 0.45 Following are some important project selection and design con-
Density (gm/cm2) 0.95 0.94 ASTM D1505 (2018) siderations, which should be given due consideration while work-
Tensile properties (each ASTM D6693 (2015)
direction) ing with EPS-geofoam in Highway projects: final grade should be
Strength at yield (kN/m, 11.0 9.0 sufficient to allow 4 ft. (1.2 m) cover over EPS. Minimum soil
width) cover over side areas (not under the pavement) is typically a
Strength at breakdown 17.0 14.0
(kN/m, width) nominal distance of 2 ft. (0.6 m).
Elongation at yield (%) 15.0 13.0
Elongation at break (%) 735 700 (1) A protective cap should be included over critical areas
Tear resistance (N) 75 73 ASTM D1004 (2013) of the EPS fill if there is a reasonable possibility of
Puncture 230 200 ASTM D4833 (2013) accidental contact with petroleum. This is typically a
resistance (N)
SP-NCTL 425 400 ASTM D5397 (2012) lightly reinforced 4 in. (100 mm) thick concrete slab
stress crack and/or a geo-membrane.
Carbon black content (%) 2.3 2–3 ASTM D1603 (2014) (2) Vertical load acting on the EPS should not be greater
than the compressive strength at 1% strain (typically
5.8 psi (40 KPa) by specification) to avoid long-term
been placed over levelled geo-membrane in a staggered manner so creep deformation.
that vertical joints are not in the same line. The EPS-geofoam (3) Typically, normal groundwater elevation is below the
blocks were placed in true line and levelled so that straightness and bottom of the EPS fill as buoyancy forces will cause the
vertically are maintained. If any voids are noticed, it was filled with EPS blocks to float.
sand. After filling and packing of open spacesin between the (4) If EPS blocks are placed below groundwater, additional
blocks, the placement procedure of EPS blocks was considered analysis and construction techniques may be employed
over and then geo-membrane over which blocks were placed, was such as follows:
folded and wrapped so that no portion of EPS blocks is open. After
wrapping the geo-membrane around the EPS blocks, all were (i) An analysis to balance buoyancy forces with sufficient
contained like one big element. After placing and wrapping of overburden to achieve a suitable factor of safety
EPS-geofoam blocks with geomembrane, it was covered with against uplift.
earthen material. Filling of earthen material (sand) adjacent to (ii) An analysis of the nature and concentration of any
EPS block material has been done in layer-wise compaction and in contaminants in the groundwater that may affect the
accordance with a specified procedure. The placement of EPS- durability of the EPS.

Figure 3. Cross-sectional details of carriageway and EPS-geofoam layer in subgrade. (a) Field density using sand replacement method. (b) Laying of sand layer and
geo-membrane. (c) Laying of geofoam block over geo-membrane. (d) Wrapping of geo-membrane over geofoam for protection against water and termites.
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING 5

(a) Field density using sand replacement (b) Laying of sand layer and geo-
method membrane

(c) Laying of Geo-foam block over (d) Wrapping of geo-membrane over geo-
geomembrane foam for protection against water and
termites
Figure 4. Construction procedure for EPS-geofoam in subgrade layer.

(a). Comparison of settlement of the (b). Observed crack in PQC along the
approach having geo-foam and earthen fill hume pipe culvert having earthen fill
Figure 5. (a) Comparison of settlement of the approach having geofoam and earthen fill. (b) Observed crack in PQC along the Hume pipe culvert having earthen fill.

(iii) The Contractor will need to utilise dewatering tech- 5. Field observations
niques during installation. The Contractor may also
At selected location, on one side of culvert, geofoam was used
need to temporarily weigh the blocks down if the area
as per the proposed design as indicated in Figure 3 and on the
is prone to flooding during storm events.
other side existing guideline where earth material was used as
fill material in the subgrade layer was followed. It was purpo-
(5) Utilities (or likely future utility work) should not interfere
sefully done to observe and compare the performance of
with the EPS.
proposed design using geofoam with respect to the existing
6 D. K. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.

Table 3. RL of different layers on both side of culverts measured during the (2) EPS-geofoam has been easily handled and placed in
construction.
desired layers and thickness as per layout and design
EPS-geofoam used as fill
material Earth used as fill material
without using machineries and equipment. Time of
preparing geofoam layer is very much lesser than
RL/offset from CL 3.5 m 7.0 m 10.5 m 3.5 m 7.0 m 10.5 m
earthen layers for which materials (borrow area mate-
OGL 213.834 213.843 213.788 213.834 213.843 213.788
EPS-geofoam block 215.084 215.014 214.994 - - - rials), machineries (spreading and compacting equip-
Embankment top 215.290 215.231 215.154 215.259 215.202 215.118 ment) and man power for site quality control (field
Subgrade top 215.794 215.719 215.642 215.763 215.698 215.618 compaction test, etc.) are required.
GSB top 215.939 215.871 215.806 215.914 215.845 215.775
DLC top 216.094 216.021 215.948 216.069 216.001 215.930 (3) After the construction of pavement layers using EPS-
PQC top 216.402 216.333 216.262 216.379 216.311 216.240 geofoam, less settlement was observed in the first,
second, third and sixth months when compared to
the pavement layer resting on earthen back fill on the
conventional approach using earth material. Table 3 shows other side of the culvert.
the reduced level (RL) of different layers measured at the (4) Above observation has been presented only for six
offset of 3.5, 7.0 and 10.5 m, on both sides of the culvert months data of settlement of rigid pavement construc-
immediately after the completion of the work. tion over EPS-geofoam and earthen backfill which
From Table 3, it can be noted that RL value is reducing with shows there is consistent settlement taking place on
increasing offset due to provision of camber on the road. . It can be pavement with earthen fill.
noted that the RL of both side of the culvert are maintained at the
same level at the time of completion of the construction work. The
following checks were made to ensure the proper placement of 7. Numerical analysis through FEM
EPS-geofoam blocks with the suggested design criteria:
As per problem definition, for the comparative study and
(1) Crust thickness above EPS-geofoam blocks ‒ PQC- performance assessment of the pavement layer with and with-
310 mm, DLC-150 mm, GSB-150 mm, subgrade (three out geofoam, numerical analysis of four-layered rigid pave-
layers)-500 mm and FRL (final road level) = 216.333 ment was performed using PLAXIS 2D code. PLAXIS is a
(2) Cover provided over EPS-geofoam block = 216.333– finite element software package which is been used specifi-
213.843 = 2.490 m > 1.2 m, hence it was considered cally for the review and analysis of deformation caused due to
right. various reasons and degree of stability in geotechnical engi-
(3) Left-hand side (towards median side), the earthen neering projects. This software is in the form of simple
cover provided = 1.5 m. graphical input methods that enable a quick formation of
(4) Right-hand side (shoulder end), the earthen cover complex finite element models, and the enhanced option of
provided = 1.5 m; hence, criteria fulfilled. output results provides a detailed presentation of computa-
(5) Cover of geo-membrane of 500 micron thickness over tional mathematics. The calculation steps are fully automated
EPS-geofoam blocks has been provided to prevent water and are based on robust numerical procedures.
penetration and future petroleum/chemical leakage. Figure 6 shows typical cross section of pavement structure
(6) PQC of 310 mm thickness has been provided as a top with wheel load. It can be seen that on the D-side of the
wearing course fulfilling the design criteria. Hume pipe box culvert, geofoam layer was used in construc-
(7) Normal ground water level is below 100–150 ft in this tion, whereas on the H-side of the Hume pipe box culvert,
zone. Hence, water level is well below EPS level. normal design philosophy with the provision of embankment
layers was followed.
After the completion of construction, performance of the Further, separate analysis has been done on either side of
executed work was measured at various intervals of time the culvert with application of same axle load on both the ends
and records are shown in Figure 5. (D-end and H-end) as per site and same condition has been
created through PLAXIS 2D modelling considering one end
(H-end) with conventional earthen fill and the opposite end
6. Discussion (D-end) with geofoam as a backfill. The system was modelled
using 15-noded triangular elements to discretise the physical
It can be noted that there was a considerable amount of domain. The vertical and horizontal boundaries are kept far
settlement of the approach where earthfill material was used away from model geometry to ensure that there is no boundary
and cracks along the culvert were also observed. After these effectwhich means stress or strain contours should not reach
observations, following points have been noted: the model boundary or even if it touches the boundary the
(1) EPS-geofoam provides a better alternate to conventional contour values are of neglisible values. A uniform load inten-
approach in which earthen fill using local soil is used for sity of 353.04 kN/m under each tyre was applied, which is
the construction. Performance of EPS-geofoam used in equivalent to the pressure caused by a single axle wheel load of
the bottom has been found to be much better than con- 176.92 kN for a tyre width of 250 mm. Figure 7 shows the
ventional earthfill with soft/loose or compressible soil geometry of the models and the vertical deformation (settle-
foundation or places adjacent to structures where proper ment) was computed at critical location (A) for both the cases.
compaction equipment cannot be mobilised. The material properties utilised in analysis are listed in Table 4.
 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING 7

Figure 6. Typical cross section of the rigid pavement.

(a) Without EPS geofoam (b) With EPS geofoam

Figure 7. Four-layered rigid pavement model in PLAXIS 2D. (a) Without EPS-geofoam, (b) with EPS-geofoam.

Table 4. Material properties of different layers in rigid pavement. Figure 8 shows the vertical deformation contours which
Design clearly indicate that the deformation of the pavement layer
Thickness Unit weight Poisson’s E-value provided on geofoam layer is much lesser than the deformation
3
Description (mm) (kg/m ) ratio (kN/m2)
observed on the normal pavement section with provision of
PQC 310 24 0.15 31.62 × 10−9
DLC 150 24 0.15 19.36 × 10−9
embankment layers. The amount of vertical deformation esti-
GSB 150 18.5 0.40 8000 mated through numerical analysis at point A on D-side is
Subgrade (clay) 500 Unsaturated = 16 0.35 10,000 39 mm (field value = 9 mm) whereas vertical deformation
Saturated = 18
EPS-geofoam 1200 Unsaturated = 0.20 0.0 72.8
estimated at point B on H-side is 112 mm (field value = 50 m).
Saturated = 0.25 It can be noted that the numerical results may not be compar-
able with the actual observations in the field due to various
reasons, as indicated below, but the trend is well predicted:

(a) Without EPS geofoam (b) With EPS geofoam

Figure 8. Total vertical deformation in pavement. (a) Without EPS-geofoam, (b) with EPS-geofoam.
8 D. K. SRIVASTAVA ET AL.
(1) Numerical analysis assumes idealisation of the material
properties with the assumption of homogeneity which
is not the case in real situation.
(2) Deformation predicted in the field is time-dependent
and also under moving load conditions, while numer-
ical analysis is done using static loading and time-
dependency is not captured.
5. Conclusion
From design perspective, the proposed cross-sectional details
with the use of geofoam material as an alternative of conventional
earthfill show very good performance with respect to resistance to
settlement and deformation of culvert approach both experimen-
tally and numerically. Hence, the use of EPS-geofoam has been
derived as an option to repair settlement occurring on approaches
of cross drainage (C-D) structures. From construction perspec-
tive, EPS-geofoam, as an alternate of earthfill in approaches of
culvert, has been found to be convenient to handle and easy to
place. From the observations, it may be fair to conclude that no
deterioration effects are to be expected from EPS embankments
placed in the ground for a normal life cycle of 100 years.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributors
Dharmendra Kumar Srivastava is expertise in Geotechnical engineering
and is presently Research Scholar in Department of Civil and
Environmental Engineering in The NorthCap University, Gurugram,
Haryana, India.
Amit Srivastava is expertise in geotechnical engineering and working as
Professor, in School of Civil Engineering, Lovely professional University
(LPU), Jalandhar, Punjab, India. He has published widely on environ-
mental geotechnology, concrete technology and water resources and
actively involved in various research project related with environmental
geotechnology.
Anil Kumar Misra is expertise in engineering geology, hydrology and
remote sensing and working as Head, Department of Geology, Sikkim
University, Gangtok, Sikkim, India. He is working in the research areas
like building materials and construction, water resource management
and remote sensing and continuously publishing on these areas.
Vaishali Sahu is expertise in environmental engineering and Assistant
Professor in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in The
NorthCap University, Gurugram, Haryana, India. She has published
widely on issues related with environmental monitoring and assessment,
Environmental geotechnology and concrete technology.
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