ROAD STABILISATION—CARRATHOOL SHIRE December’s featured road stabilisation project was on Main Road

501 (Lachlan Valley Way) which lies in Carrathool Shire Council

(CSC). CSC is in South Western NSW and has a total of 2700km

of local roads, many of which lie in very challenging soils. To

meet the challenge CSC have a fleet of six graders, two of which

are all wheel drive. Their equipment choice is telling of the chal-

lenging soils.

PROJECT SUMMARY MAIN ROAD 501 Five Elements International Pty Ltd

07 3348 5533

sales@five-elements.com.au

www.five-elements.com.au

77 Stradbroke Avenue

WYNNUM QLD 4178

CARRATHOOL SHIRE - MAIN ROAD 501

DESCRIPTION DETAILS

Project length (m) 4700

Project width (m) 5

Project area (m2) 23,500

Pavement type Mix of various gravels, clay & loam

Plas$city High

POLYTAHR STABILISER CSC staff have extensive experience with polymer stabilisation,

and dry granule application is their preferred method. Conditions

were dry both before and after the works, enabling good dry back

and hardening. The following table summarises the Polytahr ap-

plication for MR 501.

CARRATHOOL SHIRE - MAIN ROAD 501

DESCRIPTION DETAILS

Treatment depth (mm) 100

Applica$on rate (g/m2) 6.4

Polytahr™ required (kg) 150

Applica$on method Dry—12V electric spreader

Volume of treated pavement m3 2,350

Water required (kl) 263

Daily produc$vity (m2) 5,000

Moisture addi$on % by Vol 11.2%

ROADWORKS EQUIPMENT The following equipment was utilised for the MR 501 project

• Caterpillar 14M all wheel drive grader

• Pohlner Combination smooth drum/multi tyred roller

• Kenworth semi trailer water cart—28,000 litre capacity

• Dual cab ute 2WD for spreading polymer

CSC have selected equipment that is well suited to their local con-

ditions in regards to productivity and distance to water sources.

RIPPING OF EXISTING PAVEMENT

The existing pavement was ripped to a depth of 100mm using the

grader mounted scarifier bar. Note the powdery surface prior to

ripping.

PHOTO 3 Spreading of Polytahr granules from tow bar

mounted 12V electric spreader

After spreading of the polymer granules water was applied to the

road with the Kenworth 28,000 litre tanker using fan sprayers.

This quickly brought the moisture level to near optimum to enable

successful blade mixing of the pavement. The existing pavement

consisted of a mixture of materials including red earths, dark red/

brown plastic clay, limestone and large chunks of soft grey sand-

stone. It was a real mixed bag of materials which are a challenge

to hold together without polymer stabilisation.

PHOTO 1 The final stages of finishing off MR 501

PROJECT PROFILE—MAIN ROAD 501 Main Road 501 is classified as a regional road and is the main link

between Hillston and Booligal, running adjacent the Lachlan River.

The traffic profile includes a substantial number of heavy vehicles

which service large scale agricultural enterprises including cotton

and almond farms. The section of MR 501 between Hillston and

Booligal has an unrestricted road train rating, and is a feeder road

to the Cobb Highway & Sturt Highway.

The aim of the project was to polymer stabilise the existing pave-

ment to a depth of 100mm to reduce maintenance, while also

providing a better driving surface with reduced dust.

PHOTO 2 Ripping of the existing pavement

POLYTAHR APPLICATION

Application of the Polytahr granules was with a 12V electric

spreader. The required dose was applied in four passes.

PHOTO 4 Close up of the ripped material show ing plastic

clays in the dark brown chunks, a large chunk of soft grey sand-

stone, red earth and small pieces of limestone.

Polytahr is the most economical stabilisation product available and

is marketed to enable Councils to undertake mass stabilisation,

making it economically sustainable to manage road networks.

Application and incorporation of Polytahr is simple and safe for

Council staff. The staff at CSC are experienced and competent in

the application of Polytahr, requiring no support from Five Ele-

ments. CSC are making use of large scale Polytahr polymer stabi-

lisation to make a significant impact on their road assets.

PHOTO 5 Watering and mixing of pavement. A total of

28,000 litres was used to for each 500m long segment.

PHOTO 7 A tight surface after completion of compaction

HOW DOES POLYTAHR WORK Polytahr works by binding clays and fine particles through adhe-

sion and chemical binding. Once dry back is achieved pavements

become very resistant to wear, wetting and dust is suppressed.

PRODUCT SUPPORT Polytahr is supported by Five Element’s Product Engineer Frank

Dyrssen. Frank has 12 years of local government engineering

experience, and has also worked in the mining sector for a num-

ber of years. Frank has a Degree in Engineering and a Certificate

IV in Mining Operations. Five Elements can advise on;

• Application methods

• Dose rates

• Suitability of soils for stabilisation

FIVE ELEMENTS — EQUIPMENT SUPPLY

Five Elements provides equipment for dry application of Polytahr

crystal granules directly to pavement material, and equipment for

combining Polytahr granules with water to form a polymer solu-

tion.

The dry application is achieved utilizing an electric spreader that is

attached to the 2” tow bar socket of a ute. While many of our

customers are happy with the results achieved with dry spreading

of Polytahr there are some benefits of applying Polytahr in solu-

tion form.

The Polytahr solution preparation is best done with Five Element’s

Eductor pump. Benefits of utilizing the Eductor pump include;

• Consistent solution preparation & better moisture control

• Safety Benefits — Eliminates the need to top load into tank-

ers

• Rapid preparation of solution — Tankers can be filled at the

same rate as usual while adding polymer using the Eductor

pump

PHOTO 6 Compaction using a Pohlner tow behind roller.

The smooth drum was also used to push in larger stones

Thorough incorporation of the polymer has resulted in a well

bound pavement which will be resistant to moisture ingress or

unraveling under dry conditions. It is also evident that there is

reduced dust along the treated section of road.

POLYTAHR COST Polytahr is one of the most economical means of stabilisating

pavement and subgrade material. Please contact us to obtain

application advice and pricing.

Five Elements International Pty Ltd

07 3348 5533

sales@five-elements.com.au

www.five-elements.com.au

77 Stradbroke Avenue

WYNNUM QLD 4178