Geospan-assisted engineering solutions are effectively used in implementation of safe and high-quality road projects. Compliance with the production process at all the manufacturing cycle stages is required so that the materials could meet all the quality standards.
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Manufacturing facilities
Presently, Geospan materials are manufactured by three production facilities, namely, one in Toropets town in Tver region, another within Lotos special economic zone in Astrakhan region, and the third one in Volokolamsk town in Moscow region.
Toropets production facility, covering an area of 6 hectares, is located in village Lesnaya of Toropets district of Tver region, 400 km away from Moscow. It produces 7,200 tons of polymeric yarn per year.
Gexa-Lotos OOO is located 3 km away from Narimanov town in Astrakhan region within Lotos special economic zone, where Gexa became a resident in 2017. The first workshop to produce geosynthetic materials started operations in November 2019, with the second shop commissioned in June 2021, to allow Geospan geosynthetic material production 4 times growth up to 8 million square meters per year, along with increase in personnel by 2.5 times. The third workshop is under construction.
Volokolamsk manufacturing facility was launched in 2022. With commissioning over, geogrid production reached the rated capacity to yield 12,000 t of Geospan material. In the near future, a new Geospan GC (GCP) geogrid production line will be put in operation.
Equipment
Gexa’s production facilities employ state-of-the-art equipment that allows to deliver products meeting all the requirements of the road industry regulatory documents.
Presently, there are several yarn extruders, a beaming machine, circular looms and needle looms operating at Geospan material production site of Gexa-Lotos OOO’s plant. This equipment produces Geospan woven geotextile. The enterprise manufactures at least 1 mln. sq. m of fabric per month.
The machine is called an extruder because of the way of obtaining finished or semi-finished products from polymeric material of unlimited length by polymer hot melt squeezing through a T-die of proper type, i.e. extrusion. Screw (worm) extruders are mainly used for extrusion. There are also disk extruders. Gexa’s production facilities use single screw extruders.
A beaming machine is used by weaving production to wind warp from a single-fiber package (bobbin) to a multi-fiber package (beam roll), with yarn distributed evenly across the package width.
A circular loom produces a fabric with a warp and a weft. This machine is in essence a row of narrow looms with healds positioned along a regular polygon perimeter.
Production stages
Geosynthetics is a material that has at least one constituent made of synthetic or natural polymer by way of fibers, flat pieces, strips or 3D structures.
Let’s consider production of Geospan GT PP geosynthetic material. Primary raw materials are used to make it. Prior to processing, polypropylene and polyester granules pass the entry control. Then they are mixed with UV stabilizers, chalk additives and, if required, paints in a mixing hopper.
Further, extruder-formation of thin and flat fibers from hot melt takes place. The extruder is equipped with a T-die, through which a thin polypropylene strip emerges to be divided into very fine fibers. The resultant fibers are moved towards circular looms and needle looms issuing Geospan GT PP geosynthetic material.
Compliance with all the stages of production and control enables obtaining a material resistant to UV rays, mould, external loads, temperature drops and other negative impacts.
Conclusions
Gexa’s professional team, production process compliance, use of original raw materials and quality control at all manufacturing stages result in geosynthetics of high quality that have proved their effectiveness in construction of over 700 projects of the road industry.
