Year
2013
Client
Canfor Log Yard
Canada
Overview
Canfor is one of the world’s largest producers of sustainable lumber, pulp, and paper. The Canadian Forest Products (a subsidiary of Canfor) Canfor Log Yard in Fort St. John, BC has been in existence for more than 40 years. For many years, Canadian Forest Products (a subsidiary of Canfor) Fort St. John mill battled extreme muddy and contaminated soil conditions on its access road and log yard, where an average of 100 truckloads per day turned the surfaces into thick black mud, especially in the spring and fall. A lack of access for Canfor’s 988 Cat mobile loaders further disrupted lumber production when they were unable to transfer logs to the mill. To ensure the necessary access through all seasons and weather conditions, Paradox Access Solutions – Through our partner Stratum Logics engineered, supplied, and installed a turn-key reinforcement solution using Tough Cell® geocells for the log yard storage and transfer areas. – This multi-million-dollar project: •Eliminated the financial impact of downtime resulting from poor soil conditions •Improved mill production, employee morale, and safety •Reduced mobile equipment operating costs.
Year
2013
Client
Canfor Log Yard
Canada
Overview
Canfor is one of the world’s largest producers of sustainable lumber, pulp, and paper. The Canadian Forest Products (a subsidiary of Canfor) Canfor Log Yard in Fort St. John, BC has been in existence for more than 40 years. For many years, Canadian Forest Products (a subsidiary of Canfor) Fort St. John mill battled extreme muddy and contaminated soil conditions on its access road and log yard, where an average of 100 truckloads per day turned the surfaces into thick black mud, especially in the spring and fall. A lack of access for Canfor’s 988 Cat mobile loaders further disrupted lumber production when they were unable to transfer logs to the mill. To ensure the necessary access through all seasons and weather conditions, Paradox Access Solutions – Through our partner Stratum Logics engineered, supplied, and installed a turn-key reinforcement solution using Tough Cell® geocells for the log yard storage and transfer areas. – This multi-million-dollar project: •Eliminated the financial impact of downtime resulting from poor soil conditions •Improved mill production, employee morale, and safety •Reduced mobile equipment operating costs.
Challenges
Paradox’s patented Tough Cell solution was the most suitable technology for reinforcing the ground on this site. Tough Cell met all requirements specified by Canfor Log Yard, including (but not limited to):
Unstable Terrain
The existing soil consisted of muskeg more than one meter deep, part of a high-water table. Excavation revealed broken logs, bark and other debris mixed with loose clay over underlying clay. The poor-quality subgrade needed to be stabilized to handle heavy loads and large equipment reliably.
Transportation Cost
To prepare a proper foundation for the subgrade, organic matter consisting of broken logs, bark and other debris, mixed with loose clay needed to be hauled away from the site. Locally available sand was used as infill, decreasing the volume of aggregate that needed to be trucked in.
All-season access to client sites
Poor soil subgrade needed to be stabilized and long-lasting roads with increased bearing capacity for heavy equipment and high use needed to be built to ensure uninterrupted production.
Our Approach
The project was conducted in three phases. Is there content for each phase? All three phases utilized a double layer of 150 mm high Tough Cell® Geocells over a separation layer of geotextile. The existing surface was milled and compacted to the maximum extent possible prior to installation.
Results
Canadian Forest Products (a subsidiary of Canfor) Fort St. John facility is now completely accessible year-round for all heavy equipment and loads, ensuring uninterrupted production.
Our project ensured a
• $750K in of avoided production losses
as the company is now able to continue production year-round.
50K
Fuel savings
This year round accessible site has saved 50K in fuel annually.
125K
Loader maintenance
A savings of 125K in loader maintenance as the site is more accessible and stuck in the mud situations completely diminished.
75K
Tires and wearable parts
Routine maintenance is still required for heavy duty machinery – but maintenance caused by faulty access is no longer a problem.
What is Tough Cell ®?
A polymeric alloy constructed from Neoloy is superior to other geotechnical engineering solutions. Its supreme tensile strength and unique honeycomb shape reinforce and provide load support for heavy-duty applications of all kinds. Paradox Access Solutions is Canada’s only licensed provider of
Advantages
•Reduces the settlement of ballast ma¬terials and fouling by subgrade attrition •Is particularly effective for building over muskeg and other poor soil subgrades •Can be installed year-round in a timely manner, regardless of the season or weather •Supporting multi-directional confinement, Tough Cell enlarges the influence zone to 50-200mm, above and below cell height. Tough Cells can cover load support reinforcement and areas where water and drainage capabilities need to be considered.
Benefits
•Proven engineering solution that offers the only viable, long-term alternative to traditional road construction •Provides increased bearing capacity and longevity for roads with heavy track demands •Minimizes the import and quantity of aggregate, and therefore transportation costs, by utilizing locally available sand, recycled concrete and asphalt, and/or other materials •Reduces future maintenance and C02 emissions. •Decrease or avoid transportation costs by being able to build over muskeg and wet conditions •Supports a natural vegetation growth environment through erosion control and slope protection, in comparison to other geotechnical solutions