Bentonite Mats
Used to waterproof foundations, concrete structures and underground environments
When to use Bentonite Mats
The bentonite mat is an effective membrane that contributes to structural waterproofing. It has excellent mechanical properties thanks to the use of resistant geotextiles during the manufacturing process.
Our bentonite mat is designed to resist mechanical damage that appears on every construction site. Reinforced geotextiles, used in the manufacturing process, make the product durable and robust.
The product is a self-expanding geocomposite sheet, characterized by a high swelling capacity.
The Bentonite Geocomposite is a waterproofing product containing sodium bentonite, which is used to waterproof foundations, concrete structures and underground environments in general, which have contact with the ground and are at risk of water infiltration (cellars, garages, warehouses, vaults, underpasses , galleries).
Like the bentonite joint, which is usually used in synergy with this product, bentonite mats are applied when the concrete is poured, during construction.
The bentonite mat is composed of two layers of geotextile fabric sewn together, which enclose a uniform layer of natural sodium bentonite.
Advantages of Bentonite Mats
- It is an excellent active waterproofing of underground structures and underground parts of buildings
- The main advantage of the bentonite mat is its extraordinary ease of installation. The cover can be applied to dry and wet surfaces in different weather conditions. On vertical surfaces, the bentonite sheet can be nailed directly to the concrete
- Does not require additional fixings on horizontal surfaces
- The use of primers or special preparations is not required
- It does not require the use of protective layers
- The bentonite mat is supplied in rolls and is easily applied to the affected surfaces. It clings easily to surfaces, is resistant to tearing, and adapts easily even to complex geometries.
Application of Bentonite Mats
Our bentonite mats are efficient waterproofing and insulating materials, providing waterproofing to protect soils, subgrades and structures in many civil, geotechnical and environmental applications, including:
- Tunnel linings
- Landfill linings
- Sealing of earthen reservoirs and dams
- Sealing of pipelines, storage facilities for petroleum derivatives, etcโฆ
- Waterproofing of foundation and underground walls, bridge bases and other wall structures
- Sealing of road and railway foundations in protected areas.
- Bentonite mats also offer a cheaper and less intensive alternative to traditional clay barriers.
Installation of Bentonite Mat
Positioning the mat in place
The bentonite mats must be laid with the polypropylene side (the darker side) facing the support and fixed by anchoring nails with washers; on vertical walls the installation must proceed starting from the bottom, after having created an appropriate layer of cement mortar, in correspondence with the corners produced between the foundation and the elevation wall, to facilitate the laying of the sheet.
Overlapping the mats
Each mat must overlap the adjacent one by at least 10 cm (in the case of works on natural supports, such as lakes or canals, overlap the carpets by at least 20 cm), with an arrangement that creates a mismatch of the vertical joints.