When embankments are constructed connecting to “rigid structures” such as viaducts, bridges or other concrete works, any drop in the level of the approach ramp would be particularly problematic, since it would result in a step that could make the infrastructure unusable.
The lightweight nature of expanded clay, its optimised granulometric size, and its other properties, which are determined and controlled at the manufacturing stage, make it ideal for resolving this problem or preventing it from occurring, because it densifies much more easily than traditional aggregates, reduces in volume to a much lesser extent, and avoids settlement by reducing the imposed loading on the supporting ground.
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