Kaspor Geofoam
Thermal Insulation Products
Kaspor Geofoam
In civil engineering applications, EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) has been used for many years as an economical and effective thermal insulation material.
Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) Geofoam was first used in Norway in 1972 by the Norwegian Road Research Laboratory as a lightweight road fill material to reduce settlements in road embankments.
Although the successful results of using EPS Geofoam as a lightweight road fill material in Oslo were known, the use of this material remained limited to Scandinavian countries for more than a decade.
In 1985, at the “First International Geofoam Conference” held in Oslo, the experience and benefits gained from using EPS Geofoam in road embankments were shared with participants from different countries, particularly in countries with problematic ground conditions.
EPS Geofoam can be used in retaining and quay walls to reduce static and dynamic lateral earth pressure; in road embankments to reduce settlement and ensure slope stability;
and in pile foundations for isolation against seismic loads.
There are many examples demonstrating the good performance of structures using EPS Geofoam under static loads. An example of the good performance of EPS Geofoam under seismic loads can be found in Japan.
Between 1993 and 1995, various regions of Japan were exposed to strong earthquakes. Hotta et al. (1996)
reported that following five earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.6 to 8.1, although some damage occurred in the region,
EPS fills remained highly stable.
The popularity of EPS Geofoam began to increase.
EPS Geofoam began to be used as a lightweight fill material. Between 1985 and 1987, 1.5 million cubic meters of Geofoam was used in 2,000 projects in Japan. The successful results of Geofoam used and tested in these projects demonstrated the potential of this new material as a lightweight fill material. For example,
the installation of geofoam beneath a runway at a Japanese airport demonstrated that this material could also be used in areas exposed to heavy and repetitive loads.
At the 2010 meeting held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, attended by manufacturers, contractors, and researchers from different countries, on the use of EPS in Civil Engineering Applications
(EUMEPS Masterclass-EPS in Civil Engineering Applications), it was concluded that EPS had been successfully used in major civil engineering applications from 1985 to 2010.