Structures alvéolaires ultra-légères (SAUL) en assainissement pluvial : vers une classification des produits et retours d'expériences Ultra-light cellular structures for use in stormwater storage : towards a classification of products and case studies

To build underground rainwater storage tanks, ultra-light cellular structures materials (ULCS) have been used for the past twenty years. These portable thermoplastic blocks, with 95% void, are easily and quickly installed. Due to increasing needs, numerous products, with a wide variety of characteristics, recently appeared. Besides, few case studies dealing with ULCS use are available. In this context, a study has been carried out to draw up a state of the art about available ULCS products and to realize case studies. After a presentation of the ULCS interests for rainwater drainage, a classification of products is suggested. Afterwards results of a survey about ULCS uses are presented. Lastly needs are defined, in terms of mechanical structure, technical recommendations and testing of the performance and of the lifetime of the systems.