The Grid That Doubles the Strength of the Ground

Comments · 1.2K

• PR

  @PracticalEngineeringChannel · 1 month ago · pinned

  🏞 Lots of cool stuff (plus my book) available at the PE store: <a href="https://store.practical.engineering/">https://store.practical.engineering/ </a><br>⚙ Check out SendCutSend for custom parts fabricated from your CAD: <a href="http://sendcutsend.com/practicalengineering">http://sendcutsend.com/practicalengineering</a>

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• TH

  @thecrowcook · 1 month ago

  We&apos;re gonna need some garage models and data about the structural integrity of cakes in rain

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• 99

  @99Scott · 1 month ago

  Makes me think of the highways in Alaska and the Yukon. It&apos;s a non stop battle with the ground under the roads moving. There are sections that have what look like ventilation pipes going into the ground. I assume it has something to do with permafrost, but I really want a Practical Engineering video about it.

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• JO

  @JonathanKennedyII · 1 month ago

  I&apos;d imagine it would be possible to use a biodegradable material, but then you literally have a time limit on the subsurface structure you&apos;re building on top of.<br><br>This is one of the best use cases for synthetic polymer materials I can think of. Despite the overabundance of petroleum plastics in everyday life that definitely needs to be addressed.

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• MM

  @mm6705 · 1 month ago

  I will forever think of skyscrapers as stilettos

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• FA

  @farmergeo5374 · 1 month ago

  We have horses. Geo cell panels under their common areas have greatly reduced soil erosion and mud pits.

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• JO

  @joehopfield · 1 month ago

  A similar but lighter grid is used on a fire-road / mountain bike trail near me. In that case it&apos;s to stabilize against erosion &amp; to protect the pipeline that runs under &amp; parallel to the road). Installed 10-15 years ago, has worked great. Road no longer needs repair every couple years.

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• ZO

  @zounds010 · 1 month ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stQfGfUSLQg&amp;t=960">16:00</a> I would expect that having the cells at the surface is not the worst-case scenario. If you had a layer of sand over the top of the cells, that layer would be free to form a washboard again.

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• GP

  @gpdewitt · 1 month ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stQfGfUSLQg&amp;t=933">15:33</a> - an additional benefit, water can recharge aquifers, especially in large urban areas that are nearly sealed by roads and buildings. This can store water against future droughts.

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• LO

  @lorenwillis425 · 1 month ago

  I&apos;ve seen geo-cells used for fire equipment access around office buildings. &nbsp;They did it in such a way that some grass would grow up to improve the green space, but since the grass was less thick, you could clearly see where the &quot;roadway&quot; was to allow equipment easy access to the sides of the building.

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• WH

  @WhiteWulfe · 1 month ago

  I think my favourite application of these kinds of products is in the use of things like grass runways and driveways, where they can significantly reduce wear and tear on the grass, while also allowing it to handle heavier loads if need be...

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• OI

  @Oivaras · 1 month ago

  My city decided to use these plastic geocells to build public parking lots in residential neighbourhoods. It was very similar to your garage demonstration, cells were on the surface, just filled with dirt. They did not survive the winter. A few freezing and thawing cycles caused them to shift in all directions, potholes formed and they disintegrated because the filler material was drained by melting snow.<br>Now they use concrete honeycombs, those seem to work a lot better, while still letting rainwater to drain.

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