EPS Geofoam Embankment on Soft Ground—A Full-Scale Test

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam has been applied widely to diminish consolidation settlement of highway embankments on soft ground for over four decades in various countries throughout the world. With the advantage of being a lightweight fill material, whose weight is only 1–2% compared with rock or concrete with the same volume but can withstand relatively large compressive stresses, is molded into standard-sized blocks in the factory. However, the EPS geofoam is quite new and has not been widely used in Vietnam. In this study, an experimental study was conducted to compare an EPS embankment on the soft ground with a soil embankment through full-scale field measurements at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, Vietnam. The study results indicated that the settlement of EPS embankment is significantly reduced comparing with that of the soil embankment.