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26/07/11 - Is Recycled Plastic Suitable for a Product Like StrataCell?

Yes, absolutely. Some people assert that recycled plastics aren’t strong enough for use in load bearing soil structure modules. This is emphatically not the case, provided that sufficient knowledge and skill has gone into the design.

The highly engineered StrataCell is evidence of the strength and structural integrity that can be achieved using environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing principles. StrataCell is 30% stronger than any similar soil structure unit and is made entirely from recycled materials without any steel reinforcements (which may corrode). With its capacity to withstand enormous traffic loads, the largest StrataCell model is by far the strongest soil structure unit on the market today.

FEA (Finite Element Analysis) and load testing both formed an integral part of the design process for StrataCell, establishing both the lateral and vertical loading capacities of the module. In one test, a university laboratory applied a load of 8.6 tonnes to a tower of StrataCell modules 10,000 times. The tower was then crushed to measure whether the ultimate load bearing capacity had been diminished by the cyclic loading and unloading of the structure. The StrataCell modules had lost no strength whatsoever, verifying the strength and integrity of this remarkable system.

Physical load testing of this kind is the only true measure of structural integrity. This is why StrataCell modules are subject to regular crush testing during their manufacture, as part of the stringent quality control procedures that we insist on.

As can be seen from the above, the use of recycled plastics has in no way compromised the inherent strength of the unique StrataCell design. The use of virgin plastics would have had almost no impact on the strength of the completed modules, provided no appreciable plastic reduction, and would have sacrificed our important goal of creating a sustainable and environmentally friendly product.

StrataCell’s patented design provides a high strength skeletal matrix that occupies less than 6% of the total tree pit volume. This same structure also allows the individual modules to be densely stacked for transportation and shipping. Part of the original brief for the design of StrataCell was to create a soil structure module that not only provided exceptional strength from environmentally friendly materials, but which would also help to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and do away with wasted packaging materials, further contributing to its green credentials. We are pleased to say that the patented design of StrataCell accomplishes all of these things.

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