Type A protection is defined by BS8102:2009 as 'barrier protection'. This is where a membrane is put in place offering a barrier to the passage of water between the internal and external environments.
Where can it be used?
- New build basmements.
- Basement refurbishments
- Semi Basements
- Storage or plant rooms
- Below Ground car parks
- Retaining Walls
- Lift Pits
- Tunnels
- Podium Decks
- Swimming Pools
Advantages of Bentofix® GCLs
- Versatile sealing applications possible
- Immediate sealing and long-term performance with high swellable sodium bentonite powder
- Outperforms compacted clay liners
- Robust geotextiles encapsulate and contain the bentonite
- Uniform needle-punching provides multi-directional shear strength
- Thermal Lock process increases internal shear strength and interface friction angles
- Self-sealing length overlaps; with BFG types all overlaps self-seal
- Quick, easy and cost effective to install
Bentofix® geosynthetic clay liners (GCL) exemplify how geosynthetics perform best
Best performance by interacting with natural elements to create something stronger or more secure.
Needle-punching revolutionised the Bentofix® GCL effectivity
The needle-punched manufacturing technology greatly increases the internal and external shear strength of GCLs and expands the range of applications in which GCLs can be used. The needle-punching process firmly bonds the three unique layers of Bentofix® – two outer encapsulating geotextiles and the core of sodium bentonite. This bond creates a single, engineered barrier that utilises the best of both synthetic and natural materials.
Bentofix® GCL and the power of powder bentonite
Bentofix® GCLs outperform significantly thicker layers of compacted clay. The exceptional, immediate swelling characteristic of powdered sodium bentonite provides a long-term barrier that can “self-seal and re-heal” (e.g., swell to fill potential punctured/damaged zones) and rehydrate to renew the barrier even if it has been exposed to desiccation. The highly engineered geotextile outer layers provide outstanding protection against piping of the bentonite, durability to resist damage, and strength to manage the challenges inherent in barrier designs, such as for security on slopes and against fluctuating heads.
The Thermal Lock process permanently locks the needle-punched fibres of the nonwoven geotextile layer with the Bentofix® carrier layer of GCL-types without PE coating and improves the hydraulic conductivity performance at low confining stresses. It also increases the pull-out resistance of the fibres – a durability-improving measure that increases inter-face friction, ensures long-term shear resistance and immediate fibre-strength during hydration.
Bentofix® X types are additionally extrusion-coated with a polyethylene liner ensuring an immediate and enhanced barrier to gas and radon while protecting against desiccation and critical substances.
