Strengthening Road Travel Around the Globe
TerraDry® is a non-solvent based organo-silane product that represents nanotechnology waterproofing for native soils. It is frequently incorporated into road building and parking lot projects utilizing GES’ DirtGlue® Industrial. TerraDry works at the microscopic level preventing the water molecules from being able to enter whatever substrate is being protected. The penetrants in the TerraDry chemically react with the substrate and provide molecular level hydrophobicity.
Many paved and unpaved roads fail because they are constructed using inferior base materials. Until now, the only solution for a soft and muddy (high plasticity) road base was the costly action of digging up and removing the inferior base and replacing it with good quality aggregate. GES’ revolutionary TerraDry system treats inferior base materials “in place,” turning poor quality road base into strong, stable material.
The problem with using inferior soils (clay and silt) for road construction is that they build up a structure of fine capillaries that absorb water, which causes a reduction of stability, load bearing capacity, and the ability to resist frost. The DirtGlue TerraDry system is a combination of two complementary components developed specifically to fill the capillary network with an organosilane component, thus rendering the soil water repellent. Once the soil is treated with TerraDry, capillary water uptake is prevented, ensuring permanent high load-bearing capacity, stability and frost resistance.
The benefits of using TerraDry® are enormous. The use of “in-situ” cohesive and inferior soils saves time, expense, and resources. No longer is there a need to remove tons of inferior soil and haul it away to a landfill. Additionally, the cost of purchasing expensive aggregate is also eliminated. Your project costs are greatly reduced with roads back in service sooner with less disruption to the local infrastructure and population. And you can maintain the natural look of your roadways.
TerraDry with DirtGlue Industrial has been used to build military access roads with tank and super-heavy duty vehicular traffic. It has been used to build housing subdivision roads in places like Costa Rica, retaining the natural charm and beauty of the terrain.
DirtGlue Industrial (DGI) is shipped as a liquid concentrate and diluted 1:1 with water (adjusted down for high moisture content substrates). Then TerraDry is added at a rate of ~10% of the DGI, e.g. 500 gallons of DGI + 500 gallons of water + 50 gallons of TerraDry. Note: the application rate of TD is increased for high clay/silt content substrates. GES West is available to calculate project materials estimates and budgets.
The dilution is then applied to loose (tilled) substrate, graded/shaped after a 20 minute setup time, and then compacted/rolled. In warm/dry climates, foot and light passenger traffic can traverse after 24 hours. Up to a week should be allotted for full curing strength and vehicle parking.
Industry Uses
Eco road building – Alternative to Asphalt – Alternative to Concrete – Earth-friendly road construction – Aesthetic golf course paths – Hardener for bike park pump tracks – Soil binder for road building – Dirt Glue for Walking Paths – Solution to muddy parking lots – Permanent dust control for driveways and roads