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! SoilTech Mk. III. - Polymer Road Stabilizer

Environmentally friendly
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COMPANY OVERVIEW

Kaveri Ultra Polymers P Limited is in the field of

Manufacturing Bulk Material Handling Equipments
for the Infrastructure Industry catering to Cement
Plants, Power Plants, Steel Plants, Mines, Mineral
Beneficiation Plants, Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Plants,
Chemical & Fertilizers Plants, Foundry, Ports,
Railways, etc. for more than 35 years.

Started primarily as a UHMW-PE Liner

manufacturer, we have grown as a company that
offers total solution from Design & Manufacture to Execution with an enviable
range of products to include Rubber and Polyurethane Linings and Screens,
Pneumatic Air Blasters, Conveyor Care Products like Belt Scrappers, Impact Pads,
Skirt Board Sealing and Belt Tracking Systems.

We also have a division undertaking Environmental and Pollution Control Projects

like Dust Suppression System. Our endevour is to provide our customers with a
"one-stop" solution for their bulk material flow, belt cleaning and dust control
problems.

Polymer Pavements, also known as Polyroads, has its head office in

Johannesburg, South Africa and is represented in eighteen countries on four
continents Polymer Pavements manufactures and develops environmentally
friendly Smart Materials for road construction, low cost road seals, factory
floors, dust control, barrier liners and spray-on geoliners for dams.
These Smart Materials includes in-situ material binders, soil modifiers,
asphalt modifiers and elastomeric mortar admixtures.

During the past 70 years, a number of countries have been researching and
developing various polymeric admixtures in modified concrete mortars.
Today, the USA, Germany, Japan have Standard Specifications for polymer
modified mortars and concretes. However, in general the construction
industry has been pedestrian in adopting technology.
Smart Materials have been developed as a renaissance to the stoic road
construction industry. Layered pavement designs have not changed for the
last 100 years.

Kaveri Ultra Polymers P. Limited have entered into a Joint Venture partnership
with Polymers Pavement Pty Ltd. for the last 10 years to focus on Research and
Development to manufacture and develop an environment friendly and smart
material industrial polymer based products for Infrastructure Development
Industry viz. SoilTech Mk. III.
SOILTECH MK. III

SoilTech Mk. III is a third generation

nano polymer binder used for
stabilizing soils for improving the
strength of the soil and thereby
improving the stability. It is a
stabilization agent and was specifically
designed & developed for mine haul-
road stabilization, where excessive
loading occurs and where all-weather
roads are required. This technology is
now used in commercial road design.

SoilTech Mk. III stabilizing polymers are elastomers, which gain strength from
mechanical compaction and do not become brittle when cured. The elastomers are
flexible in nature and allows certain amount of flex under load and does not
become brittle unlike cement stabilization, will not crack under excessive loading –
one aspect in reducing layer work in design phases.

In most cases, the in-situ soils in the area can be used for stabilization. The in-situ
materials which would normally be classified as unusable or waste materials, can
be transformed into suitably modified aggregates for use in base and sub-base
layer construction. The SoilTech Polymers are the forefront of binding marginal
soils and turning these materials into useable road construction aggregate.
SoilTech Mk. III has been extensively tested with in-situ materials in various parts
of the world.

SoilTech Mk. III has been extensively utilized in base and sub-base stabilization
using in-situ materials, throughout the developing world. SoilTech Mk. III stabilizer
has been purposely designed to penetrate through the road’s base layer, into the
sub-base layer, via capillary action and bind otherwise loose particles to one
another, providing strength and cohesion. The SoilTech polymers are 0.5µm in size.
These nano polymers are far more effective in coating and binding aggregate that
the previous available polymers. The SoilTech Mk. III polymer is mixed with water
which acts as a means of transport and facilitates the polymer in coating the soil
particles. Once the water disperses, the polymers interlock and form a bond which
gains strength under mechanical compaction. The greater the compaction, the
better the polymer binds. Stabilized roads are opened to traffic 24 hours after
construction. The kneading effect of vehicle traffic further assists in accelerating
the evaporation process of the surfactants and coalescing solutions surrounding
the polymer chains. SoilTech polymers will start binding when exposed to air and
the surfactant, aided by an alcohol mix, starts to evaporate

SoilTech Mk. III Polymer is used for stabilizing base and sub-base layers of sealed
and unsealed roads; mine haul roads, railway embankments, hard stands, parking
lots and airstrips.
SoilTech Mk. III Polymer offers solutions for

1. Asphalt Roads – Ideal for stabilizing the base and

sub-base layers. In most cases, the in-situ soils in
the area can be used for stabilization. The stabilized
road can be opened to traffic within 24 hours after
construction, as the additional traffic on the
stabilized road actually assists in dissipating the
water in the base and sub base layers thereby
speeding up the polymer binding process and the
structural strength of the road. These roads are
normally sealed with a chip & spray or asphalt seal
after 5-7 days of sun curing or drying.

2. Rural & Feeder Roads (Sealed or Unsealed) –

SoilTech Mk. III is ideal for providing a tough base

layer. Sand slurries or cost effective chip seals can
be applied as a wearing course.

In some cases, due to economic reasons, the feeder

roads may be left unsealed – with no wearing
course. In such case, a light clear polymer binder
(diluted SoilTech Mk. III Polymer) can be sprayed
over the existing stabilized road as a cost effective
interim measure. It may be necessary to apply a
diluted polymer spray over the stabilized area over every 6 months.

3. Mine Haul Roads – SoilTech Mk. III was specifically

designed & developed for mine haul-road
stabilization. The SoilTech Mk. III Polymer
stabilized road provides the structural load bearing
capacity required for haul vehicles.

4. Container Depots & Parking Lots – due to the

flexible nature of the polymers in SoilTech Mk. III,
the stabilized base/ Sub base layer allows certain
amount of flex on the road and does not become
brittle. It provides an excellent platform or
hardstand for storage depots, taxi stands and
parking lots.
Advantages of SoilTech Mk. III Polymer

Reduce the consumption of quarry aggregate in road construction and

thereby minimize the significant environmental impacts.
Aggregate is mined from the earth, either dug out of
pits or blasted out of quarries. This process has many
significant environmental impacts. Creating the pits or
quarries requires the removal of virtually all natural
vegetation, top soil and subsoil to reach the aggregate
underneath. Not only does this lead to a loss of existing
animal wildlife, it also leads to a huge loss of
biodiversity as plants and aquatic habitats are
destroyed. Moreover, adjacent eco-systems are affected
by noise, dust, pollution and contaminated water. Pits
and quarries disrupt the existing movement of surface water and groundwater; they
interrupt natural water recharge and can lead to reduced quantity and quality of
drinking water for residents and wildlife near or downstream from a quarry site.

In-situ materials can be used

In many instances in-situ materials on site which would normally be classified as
unusable or waste materials, can be transformed into suitably modified aggregates,
for use in base and sub-base layer construction. SoilTech Mk. III has been
extensively tested with in-situ materials in various parts of the world.

Reduced Road Crust speeds up the construction time

With SoilTech Mk. III Polymer
stabilization the amount of
layered work normally
associated with convectional
flexible pavement/cement
stabilized roads can be reduced.
The thickness of granular sub
base layer can be reduced and
granular base layers eliminated.

Reduction in crust layer reduces the total construction time when compared to
conventional road construction. The reduction in construction time reduces the
amount CO2 emission from construction activities.

Reduce construction costs.

Reduced crust layers and thickness results in reduced construction cost and
makes it cost effective

Reduced maintenance
As long as the asphalt wearing course layer is maintained, the structural integrity
of the road will be preserved, with the road pavement remaining rut-free and
eliminating the need for base or sub-base maintenance.
Increases the strength and stability of base & sub-base layer
Stabilized Base offers resistance to consolidation and movement due to repeated
wheel loading and prevents rutting due to deformation in sub-base & sub-grade
layers.
Structural strength achieved with SoilTech polymer stabilization, exceeds
international single axle loading (80kN) standards by several hundred percent. A
further major design benefit of SoilTech polymer is that apart from the fact that a
very impressive load bearing strengths are achieved, the elastomeric properties of
SoilTech also provides unsurpassed tensile performance, for road stabilizing
products.

Engineers are now able to reduce the number of supporting layers, traditionally
used to support in conventional rigid or flexible pavement designs. SoilTech is
normally mixed into the base layer, assuming that the sub-grade offers reasonable
support. In some instances, the sub-base may also be stabilized with a lower
dosage of SoilTech in order to provide further strength to in-situ materials.

FACTORS INFLUENCING SOILTECH POLYMER STABILIZATION

Factor Remarks
Material or Aggregate It stands to reason that the better quality of aggregate
used, the better results will be. Having said that,
SoilTech has been designed to work with marginal
materials.
Ideal Materials:
i. Plasticity index of 10 (will work with P.I of between
(0 – 16)
ii. Decent grading modulus (will also work with
mixed grading of <2mm)
Materials to be avoided:
i. Material with very poor grading modulus– single
sized particles that are non-plastic.
Percentage of SoilTech Normally SoilTech would be applied at 0.5% per MOD of
Mk. III polymer applied the material:
i. Where materials are poor, a higher dosage of
SoilTech stabilizer is recommended. Perhaps
0.75% - 1.5% per MDD
ii. Modify SoilTech with higher dosage of cross-linking
polymers
Compaction Compaction is critical. SoilTech polymer binders do not
form chemical crystallization bonds such as concrete
when curing. SoilTech needs mechanical compaction.
One needs above average heavy compaction at OMC level,
using a 12 tonne vibrating roller or heavier.
ALTERNATE DESIGN PROCESS

Material Sampling and Test Parameters for Alternate Design

Before proceeding with alternate design, adequate material

sampling and in-situ soil testing is required to exceed the
AASHTO load bearing capacities and obtain the desired results.
The various test parameters required for alternate design using
SoilTech Mk. III Polymer:

• Atterberg’s Limits
• Grain Size Analysis
• Water Content
• Free Swell Index
• Water Content-Dry Density Relation (Proctor Compaction
Test)
• California Bearing Ratio Test
• Unconfined Compressive Strength

Design Parameters

Various parameters to be considered for alternate design are:

• Type of Construction: Sealed/unsealed road, Mine Haul road, Hard Stands,

Parking Lot, Railway Embankments, Airstrips.
• Type & nature of Traffic
• Current Traffic use
• Design Life span of the Road
• Cumulative Increase in Traffic during life span of the road
• Type of material to be stabilized
• Environmental condition
• Material Sampling & test results
• Stress Strain Analysis of the alternate designed pavement for reduction in crust
layers and thickness.

Percentage of SoilTech polymer shall normally be applied at 0.5% per MOD of the
material. However, a higher dosage may be applied based on the material sampling
and test results.
Pre-Construction Quality Control Test on the material or soil

Test parameters to be established before construction at site:

- Plasticity Index (PI) of the

material or soil to be
stabilized. Clay or
aggregates can be used to
modify the material in
case the desired PI is not
obtained.

- Optimum Moisture Content

(OMC) & California Bearing
Ratio (CBR) of the material/soil.
- Maximum Dry Density (MDD) for optimum compaction.

Materials that work best with SoilTech requires plasticity range of between 5 and
15. The finer the materials, the more polymers will be required to coat the material
particles.

Various cross-linking polymers and activators may be added to poor materials in

order to achieve the desired performance results. However, one needs to distinguish
the economic feasibility between adding various polymers or activators to poor
materials or whether it is more practical to merely import a better aggregate before
stabilizing.
 Construction Process:

- Check the alignment of the road and fix the centerline.

- Prepare the bed to receive the Polymer treated stabilized layer
- If required, modification of the material /soil shall be done. The site shall be
prepared by scarifying & pulverizing the material/soil
- Prepare the liquid polymer stabilizing agent by adding and mixing SoilTech Mk.
III Polymer to the water in the Bowser.
- The liquid stabilizing agent shall be evenly distributed by spraying into the
pulverized material/soil and mixed to obtain and uniform mix.
- The prepared material/soil is graded and leveled to desired profile.
- Rolling and compaction is done to obtain the desired Maximum Dry Density
(MDD). The result can be checked in-situ by performing Field Density Test
(FDD).
- The surface can be opened to Traffic after 3 days of sun curing/drying.
- For Sealed Surface, wearing surface course can be laid after 5-7 days.

i. Pulverizing ii. Spraying SoilTech Mk. III iii. Mixing & grading

iv. Rolling & compaction v. Laying Wearing Course

Construction Machinery/Equipment required for construction of Polymer

Treated Base Course Layer using SoilTech Mk. III Polymer:

- Hydraulic Motor Grader with back-end ripper.

- Tractor with Rotovator
- Water Bowser with capacity of minimum 4000 litres
- Vibratory Soil Compactor of 11 ton capacity
- Survey Equipment Set
- Dynamic Cone Penetrometer Test (DCP) testing Equipment
- Moisture meter
 QUALITY & RESOURCE COMPARISON

CONVENTIONAL DESIGN (IRC-37) vs. ALTERNATE DESIGN (STABILIZED)

1. Durability and Strenghth

(i). Real Time Case History of NH-1, Panipat -Jhalandhar; Km 96.000 TO 387.000
in the State of Haryana & Punjab

Test results of
Test results of
Borrow Soil
Borrow Soil
Description after blending Remarks
without
with 0.5%
SoilTech Mk. III
SoilTech Mk. III
Resilient Modulus (Mpa) 154 3264
Unconfined Compressive Strength (Kpa) 423 1868
California Bearing Ratio (%) 18.56 218

(ii) Research and Test Reports from Premium Institute

 2. Construction Time, Man, Materials & Machinery

Requirement as per Requirement as Total Saving

Conventional Crust for per Alternate
Description
Per Km of 5.5 mtr Design per Km of Quantity %
Road 5.5 mtr Road
Construction Time (Day) 28 18 10 36
Man Power (Man Days) 784 468 316 40
Machinery (Hours) 224 139.5 84.5 38
Aggregate (Cum) 3317 1578 1739 52
Bitumen (MT) 58 29 29 50

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

• Reduction in consumption of quarry aggregates.

Aggregate is a non-renewable resource obtained from
borrow pits or quarries. Reducing the aggregate
consumption reduces creation the pits or quarries
requires and help preserve natural vegetation, animal
wildlife, and biodiversity. It also reduces noise, dust, and
pollution and contamination water caused by blasting
operations done to obtain quarry aggregates.

• Reduction of carbon footprint by reducing CO2

emissions
Reducing activities which leads to CO2 emissions can
lead to reducing carbon footprint. SoilTech Mk. III
stabilization technology reduces blasting operations required to create
pit/quarries for aggregates, reduces use and movement of construction
machinery by reducing the length of construction period which in turn reduces
CO2 emissions.
OTHER SMART MATERIALS

Dust-Tech

Dust Palliative

Dust-Tech essentially is a liquid plastic. The

polymer has been developed with a particle size of
10 µm (ten micron). The minute size of the
particles allows greater penetration into the soil.
The very sticky Dust-Tech liquid polymer is
surrounded with stabilizing agents to keep the
product from sticking together while in its
packaging. Once the product is mixed with water
and applied over the ground an evaporation
process of the stabilizing agents takes place,
leaving the Dust-Tech polymer to penetrate and
bind with the soil particles.

Dust-Tech, being a liquid plastic will bind the top 5 to 10mm of the tailing material.

POLY SEAL

Dam & Barrier liners

PolySeal is a water-soluble polymer spray-on barrier

liner. It is a composite consisting of PolySeal
elastomeric cross-linking polymers, which is mixed
as an admixture with cement and non-plastic
aggregates.

PolySeal Geoliner is high-tech, cost effective and

easy to apply. The application of three coats of
PolySeal emulsion will result in a highly elastic,
non-toxic and flexible sealant for concrete or
earthen dams or capping of waste stockpiles.

Advantages include relatively low cost, high

stiffness, high compressive strength, non-flammability and ease of fabrication.
However there are some serious limitations, such as low tensile strength and
brittleness, which could affect the long-term durability.
CERTIFICATION
POLYMER PAVEMENTS OFFICES

South Africa: Nick Muller

nmuller@polyroads.com
Tel: +27 11 868-1181 Mobile: +27 82 557 3937

Australia: Judy Elsworthy

judyelsworthy@aepol.com.au
Mobile: +61 0408 682 279

Botswana: Steven McIntyre

steve@teraformbotswana.co.bw

Brazil: Mauro Costa

mcosta@polyroads.com.br
Tel: + 21 8176-3235

Cameroon: Dr. Philip du Toit

drphilip@polyroads.com
Tel: +23 77 927 4922

Colombia: Dayro Gonzalez

dh@b3bondcolombia.com

Congo DRC: Eduard Lengo Lusungamu

polyroadscd@gmail.com

Gabon: Ghassan Izzi

La-luna-tile@hotmail.com
Tel: +241 0550 5050 Mobile: +961 352 5366

India: Archit Jhunjhunwala

archit@kaveri.in
Tel: +91 98860 28888

Peru: Ernesto Gordillo

egordillo@polytechandinasac.com Tel: + 51 997 281 420

Peru: James Fletcher

jf@fletcherasociados.com

Swaziland: Allen Williams

allen@roadbuilders.co.za
Tel: + 27 84239 9701

Uruguay: Martin Santurtun

msanturtun@innovaterra.com.uy

Zambia: Willie Kamboyi

williek@polyroads.com
Tel: + 260 960 950 3851

Kaveri Ultra Polymers P Limited

107, Multi Tech Centre, Bommasandra Industrial Area,
Hosur Road, Bangalore - 560 099.
Ph - +91 (80) 41663444 Email Id - infra@kaveri.in
Website - www.kaveri.in