Geosynthetics

Dr/ M. Hafez Soil88@gmail.com

Geotextile
Geotextiles are made to be adaptable for solving

problems associated with soil and water conservation work. They can be very effective in improving drainage, protecting against piping or erosion and providing reinforcement or separation of fill materials. Proper design is necessary to ensure adequate function or service.
Geotextile type is determined by the method used to

combine the filaments or tapes into the planar textile structure. The vast majority of geotextiles are either woven or nonwoven.

History of soil reinforcement

CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE OF GEOBAMTILE

Allow overlap 600mm

Existing soil

INTRODUCTION
Geosynthetics is the term used to describe a

range of generally synthetic products used to solve geotechnical problems. The term is generally regarded to encompass four main products: geotextiles, geonets/geogrids, geomembranes and geocomposites.

Introduction

GEOSYNTHETICS ASTM has defined a geosynthetic as a planar product manufactured from a polymeric material used with soil, rock, earth or other geotechnical-related material as an integral part of a civil engineering project, structure, or system.
Geosynthetics are used for solving problems associated

with soil and water conservation work. They can be very effective in improving drainage, protecting against piping or erosion and providing reinforcement or separation of fill materials.

Introduction (cont.)
Most of geosynthetics are made from synthetic

polymers such as polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, polyamide, PVC, etc. These materials are highly resistant to biological and chemical degradation.
Natural fibers such as cotton, jute, and bamboo,

could be used as geotextiles and geogrids.

These fibers are used in all fields of civil engineering

to increase the safety and life span of structures.

Introduction (cont.)
Type of geosynthetics are;
Geotextile - is a permeable geosynthetic made of textile

materials.
Geogrids - are primarily used for reinforcement; they are

formed by a regular network of tensile elements with apertures of sufficient size to interlock with surrounding fill material.
Geomembranes - are low permeability geosynthetics

used as fluid barriers.

 These products have a wide range of

applications and are currently used in many civil and geotechnical engineering applications including roads, airfields, railroads, embankments, reservoirs, canals, dams, and coastal engineering.

Introduction (cont.)
Three products above (geotextiles, geogrids, and

geomembranes) can be combined by two or three materials to take advantage of the best attributes of each component.
These products are called geocomposites (e.g., deformed

plastic sheets, steel cables, or steel anchors).

Fig. 5 Classification of geotextiles

Geosynthetics Technology
Billion dollar industry About 100 civil and environmental

engineering applications

Geosynthetics Market
1970: Less than 1 million m2 1995: 700 million m2, $1.67 billion Geotextiles: 500 million m2 Geomembranes: 75 million m2 Geonets: 50 million m2 Geogrids: 40 million m2 GCLs: 50 million m2 Geocomposites: 25 million m2

Materials
Polypropylene Polyethylene Polyester Poly vinyl chloride (PVC)

Functions
Reinforcement Separation Filtration Drainage Containment

Parameters for Geosynthetics Selection

Application Requirements Design Method

Required GS properties
Functions

GEOTEXTILE TYPES

Non Woven Material

Introduction (cont.)

(a) woven

(b) nonwoven Fig. 1 Geotextiles

 Non-woven geotextile

arrangement of fibers either oriented or randomly patterned in a sheet provide planar water flow in addition to stabilization of soil

Woven geotextile

a fabric made of two sets of parallel strands systematically interlaced (form a thin, flat fabric) preferred for applications for high strength properties filtration requirements are less critical and planar flow is not a consideration reduce localized shear failure in weak subsoil conditions, improving construction over soft subsoil and providing access to remote areas through separation.

Ideally vegetation can form the best erosion control (difficult to

establish)

Non-woven geotextile over subgrade prior to top course for Equestrian Area

Non-wovens are specifically engineered for asphalt overlays as a fabric interlayer between the old and new asphalt layers in flexible pavement systems, extending roadway life

Introduction (cont.)

(a) Uniaxial

(b) Biaxial Fig. 2 Geogrids

Introduction (cont.)

(a) Smooth

(b) Textured
Fig. 3 Geomembranes

Introduction (cont.)

Fig. 4 Geocomposites

Functions
Geotextiles perform one or more basic functions below;
Reinforcement of weak soils and other materials.

Drainage (in-plane flow).

Filtration (cross-plane flow). Separation of dissimilar materials.

FUNCTION OF GEOSYNTHETICS
Separation
Reinforcement Drainage Filter Energy Absorber

Container
Barrier

FILTRATION

DRAINAGE

REINFORCEMENT

SEPARATION

Fig. 6 Function and application of geotextiles

CONTAINER
Geosynthethis

containment applications are those in which a textile in the form of a tube, bag or container, is used to encapsulate a construction material, such as soil or sand.

Geotextile sand container (1m3) made of nonwoven textile

APPLICATIONS
Groundwater

Protection In Transportation Infrastructure

Installation of geomembrane with a spreader bar in a road ditch

 For road construction in

environmentally sensitive areas require subsoil be sealed and effective construction measures be taken to protect the groundwater in transport infrastructure near to water catchment areas.

Bentofix road barrier system

The classic application of a geotextile as a liquid barrier is paved road rehabilitation. Here the nonwoven geotextile is placed on the existing pavement surface following the application of an asphalt tack coat. The geotextile absorbs asphalt to become a waterproofing membrane minimizing vertical flow of water into the pavement structure.

 Dammed-up Waters

In inland fresh water shipping routes where the water level is an elevation higher than the natural groundwater level, artificial barrier is required to prevent the water draining to the groundwater level.

Barrier of a harbour basin with Bentofix Geosynthetic Clay Liner

Barrier of a canal with the Bentofix BZ 13-B, for underwater installation

 Dyke Construction

Cross section of dyke, sealed with Bentofix Geosynthetics Clay Liner and downstream root barrier with Carbofol geomembrane

EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Scour stabilization

In rivers, waterways and open sea areas scour can be caused by natural currents or erosion effects due to ship movements, such as natural gradients or drift currents, waves, backflow currents and ship's screw actions. The stability of waterfront structures, bridge piles and slopes of waterways at narrow passage openings can be endangered by progressive scour development

Scour development at bridge piles (left), flexible scour protection at the bottom with sand containers (right), schematically drawn

BARRIER

The geosynthetic acts as a relatively impermeable

barrier to liquid (fluids) or gases. For example, geomembranes, thin film geotextile composites, geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) and fieldcoated geotextiles are used as fluid barriers to impede flow of liquid or gas. For barrier purposes in hydraulic engineering, road construction and environmental protection, HDPE geomembranes and geosynthetics clay liners are gaining use due to importance of a quality seal.

Scour protection with geotextile sand containers at the bottom of bridge piles

 Breakwaters

A series of offshore or shore attached breakwaters, could be used to maintain and build up the beach in front of the shoreline along the frontage at the Murrough

 Revetments

Providing protection against erosion of the shoreline

 Erosion Control / Coastal Protection

Geosynthetic as a Separator

As a separation layer, geotextile are used to prevent adjacent soil layers or fill materials from intermixing. Synthetic nonwovens that exhibit an elongation capacity, are the materials of choice in most applications. The selection of a suitable product is dependant upon the base course grain size and the operational loads to be expected. The main use of separation nonwovens are in road and railway construction, hydraulic and landfill engineering and field construction.

Separator
Geotextiles can be used as separators to prevent

fine- grained subgrade soils from being pumped into permeable, granular road bases and to prevent road base materials from penetrating into the underlying soft subgrade.
Separators maintain the design thickness and

roadway integrity.

Separator (cont.)

Fig. 19 Separator

Preventing the intermixing of soft foundation soils with

granular material .

Reinforcement

Geotextiles are used as an integral component in reinforced soil structures such as retaining walls, slopes and embankment. Provide tensile resistance to the soils, thus enhancing its shear characteristic. Enables embankments to be constructed over very soft foundations.

Reinforcement (cont.)

Fig. 7 Reinforcement process

Maintaining the stability of soil by carrying tensile load.

Reinforcement (cont.)

They are also used to construct stable slopes at much steeper angles.
Geotextiles which used for reinforcement are design on ideal characteristic.

High tensile strength Low elongation Low creep.

Reinforcement (cont.)

The three primary applications of soil reinforcement using geotextiles are;

1)

2) 3)

reinforcing the base of embankments constructed on very soft foundation increasing the stability and steepness of slopes, reducing the earth pressures behind retaining walls and abutments.

Other reinforcement and stabilization applications which geotextiles are also be proven to be very effective include roads and railroads, large area stabilization, and natural slope reinforcement.

Reinforcement (cont.)

Slope reinforcement

Embankment reinforcement

Fig. 8 Type of reinforcement

Properties of reinforcement geotextiles (woven)

Reinforcement embankment on soft ground

Concept

The design and construction of embankments on soft foundation soils is a very challenging geotechnical problem. Successful projects require a thorough subsurface investigation, properties determination, and settlement and stability. If the settlements are too large or instability is likely, then some type of foundation soil improvement is warranted.

Reinforcement embankment on soft ground (cont.)

Today, geotextiles reinforcement must also be considered as a feasible treatment alternative. In some situations, the most economical final design may be some combination of a traditional foundation treatment alternative together with geotextiles reinforcement. The addition of strength tensile element in the soil embankment contribute to the resisting force and hence the overall stability of the structure. Increasing the design factor of safety.

Reinforcement embankment on soft ground (cont.)

Fig. 10 Bearing failure

Fig. 9 Concept

Reinforcement embankment on soft ground (cont.)

Fig. 12 Lateral spreading

Fig. 11 Rotational failure

Reinforcement embankment on soft ground (cont.)

Design Considerations

As with ordinary embankments on soft soils, the basic design approach for reinforced embankments is to design against failure. The ways in which embankments constructed on soft foundations can fail have been described by Terzaghi et al. (1996).

The three possible modes of failure indicate the types of stability analyses that are required for design.

Reinforcement embankment on soft ground (cont.)

Design Considerations

Overall bearing capacity of the embankment must be

adequate, and the reinforcement should be strong enough to prevent rotational failures at the edge of the embankment. Lateral spreading failures can be prevented by the development of adequate shearing resistance between the base of the embankment and the reinforcement.

Reinforcement of steep slope (cont.)

Fig. 13 Geotextiles used in the reinforcement slope

Reinforcement of steep slope (cont.)

Fig. 14 Geotextiles used in the reinforcement slope

Drainage

to convey fluid within the plane of the fabric. The thicker nonwoven geotextiles have this capacity, while woven and heat bonded nonwoven geotextiles do not.
Geotextiles are used for the drainage or structures which are in contact with soil. Thereby, reducing the hydrostatic pressure on the structures and its sealing system. They also used as a drainage material for the surface collection of precipitation, the subsurface collection and diversion of groundwater as well as the general collection of fluids and their discharge into drainage system.

Drainage (cont.)
Physical requirements or drainage applications

1. High-survivability drainage applications for geotextiles are where installation stresses

are more severe than moderate applications, i.e., very coarse, sharp angular aggregate is used, a heavy degree of compaction (>95%) is specified, or depth of trench is greater than 3m. 2. Moderate-survivability drainage applications are those where geotextiles are used with smooth graded surfaces having no sharp, angular projections, no sharp angular aggregates is used, compaction requirements are light, (less than 95%), and trenches are less than 3m in depth.

Geotextile Filter Requirements

Some criteria/requirement in designing geotextile: Retention: Ensures that the geotextile openings are small enough to prevent excessive migration of soil particles. Permeability: Ensures that the geotextile is permeable enough to allow liquids to pass through without causing significant upstream pressure buildup. Anti-clogging: Ensures that the geotextile has adequate openings, preventing trapped soil from clogging openings and affecting permeability.

 Survivability:
Ensures that the geotextile is strong enough to resist damage during installation.

Durability:
Ensures that the geotextile is resilient to adverse chemical, biological and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure for the design life of the project.
The specified numerical criteria for geotextile filter

requirements depends on the application of the filter, filter boundary conditions, properties of the soil being filtered, and construction methods used to install the filter.

Drainage (cont.)

Fig. 15 Drainage of the structure

Drainage (cont.)

Fig. 16 Drainage of the structure

Drainage (cont.)

Fig. 17 Drainage of the road

Filtration

Geotextiles filters replace graded granular filters in trench drains to prevent soils from migrating into drainage aggregate or pipes. They are also used as filters below riprap and other armor materials in coastal and river bank protection systems.

Geotextiles and geocomposites can also be used as drains, by allowing water to drain from or through soils of lower permeability. Examples include pavement edge drains, slope interceptor drains, and abutments and retaining wall drains

Filtration (cont.)

Fig. 18 Filtration process

Allowing fluid to pass while preventing mitigation of soil

particle.

Laboratory Tests
Mass per unit area,
Thickness, Tensile strength, and Hydraulic properties (filtration opening size) Soil entrapment level and permittivity of

cleaned samples).

Filtration test

Hydraulic Filter Effectiveness

In the long term, geotextile filters must have the same

permittivity as the soil to be drained. Equal permittivity prevents pressure build up. For non-woven geotextiles with a thickness of more than 2.0 mm, the laboratory water permittivity coefficient is reduced with a factor of 50 (=0.02), if the soil to be drained is a coarse silt or sand. In all other, reduction factor of 100 (=0.01) is used.

Filtration test

Physical Properties of Fabrics

More dependant on temperature and humidity such as

i. Mass per unit area

ii. Nominal thickness iii. Compressibility

Mechanical Properties of Fabric

Form the basis for evaluating a geotextiles resistance to damage during construction (fabric survivability) and are related to the fabrics ability to support workers and construction equipment before any fill is placed (fabric workability).

Mechanical Properties of Fabric (contd)

i.

ii.
iii. iv.

Mechanical properties of fabrics include: Tensile strength peak strength and stress-strain modulus Burst, tear and impact strength puncture resistance Mechanical durability loss of strength with time under particular environmental influences, creep and abrasion

Geotextile Filter Specification

Property Pore Size AOS O95W O95H Permeability Value(1) Units m m m/s Test Method(2) Franzius Institute NFG 38.C17 SABS 0221-88

Percentage Open Area

Porosity-Nonwovens Trapezoidal Tear CBR Puncture Dart Test Tensile Strength UV Light Stability (150 hours)

5
60

%
% N kN mm kN / m

Visual Measurement
Calculation ASTM D4533-85 SABS 0221-88 CPA 1991 SABS 0221-88 ASTM 4355-84

80% strength retained

The required geotextile property values obtained from the desk top analysis are inserted in the table above. If performance testing is carried out, the property values of the most suitable, cost effective geotextile will be applied.

UNIAXIAL TENSION TEST -GEOTEXTILES

Grab Tensile Test (4 in wide specimen, 25 mm (1 in) grip): ASTM

D4632
Narrow Strip Tensile Test (W/L = 1/12; grip width = specimen width):

ASTM D 751
ASTM Wide-Strip Tensile Test (W/L = 2/1, 200 mm (8 in) wide

specimen): ASTM D 4595

Very Wide Strip Tensile Test (W/L = 2/1, up to 1 m wide)

Grip problems may arise as strength increases

APPLICATIONS WITH CRITICAL INTERFACE ACTION

Applications using reinforcement function

(involves soil-geosynthetic interface):

Railway and roadway foundations Earth retaining walls Reinforced slopes

Waste containment facilities (stability against

slippage of liners and covers on slopes) (involves both soil-geosynthetic and geosyntheticgeosynthetic interfaces)

INTERFACE STRENGTH
= ca + n tan = interface shear strength ca = effective interface adhesion n = effective normal stress on interface = effective interface friction angle Efficiency Ec = (ca/c) x 100 Ec = (tan /tan) x 100

VIT

ADVANTAGES
Nonwoven geotextiles consist of needle

punched short fibres, e.g. UV-stabilised polyester-fibres, with a pore distribution in three dimensional direction. The pore structures of nonwoven geotextiles (approx. 90% pore volume) behave better than natural granular filters (approx. 50% pore volume).

 Even if the major part of the pore structure is filled by

soil particles during the lifetime of a coastal structure, the permeability is not reduced to such an extent that pressure gradients within the filter layer are noticeable increased (Kohlhase, 1997). Long-term stable filter nonwovens have a comparable ability to deform. While woven geotextiles are made of sieve like fabrics which are only two-dimensional oriented, the filtration is best done with nonwoven fabrics based on their threedimensional pore structure.

 For coastal protection measures thick

nonwovens are proven being resistant against ultraviolet radiation and saltwater (Heerten, 1980). Additionally, using geotextile sand containers possibly helps to save gravel resources. Transportation of these materials, which often have to be delivered to the site from distant areas is avoided since classified fill material is not required (Saathoff & Witte, 1994).

DISADVANTAGES
High elongation behaviour provides the superior properties

during the construction load case, which is determined as being the biggest risk for damaging the geotextiles. Conditions during execution of coastal works often play an important role in this context. This requires mechanical properties such as minimum strength and maximum elongation. With a reputation of providing high robustness and abrasion resistance, a geotextile container if possible filled with locally available soil material can be used in nearly every hydraulic construction project where conventionally gravel, stones or rocks are used.

INSTALLATION OF BARRIER
The installation of a barrier component in hydraulic

engineering is possible both under dry conditions as well as underwater. Dry Installation Case: A conventinal compacted clay as well as Geosynthetic Clay Liner and Geomembrane are commonly used. Underwater Installation Case: Need a special composite lining system such as Bentofix BZ 13-B that featuring a sand ballast layer that is integrally encapsulated by needlepunched nonwoven geotextiles.

UNDERWATER INSTALLATION
The sand layer performs several functions which

include ballasting Bentofix GCL from floating when installed underwater. Even where there are currents, or turbulance caused by ship propellers. Due to the neddlepunching of the Bentofix GCL, the sand layer also has the effect of providing a counter preassure to the natural swealling properties of the clay, providing more uniform activation of the bentonite layer.

Schematic view of overlapping of Bentofix BZ 13-B

The Bentofix can remain underwater without additional

load or cover for longer periods of time, without loss of performance. Bentofix is suitable for dykes and dams barrier as well as flowing or turbulent inland waters.

Woven geotextile layer allows drainage, while preventing ingress of capping sand into rockfill material.

Close-up of woven geotextile layer and underlying rockfill.

Geotextile filter ensures that the fines are not washed out of the filter dam

Geotextile filter in a retaining wall to prevent the washing out of fines at the front face.

Figure 3: The installer unrolled the membrane on the heated tack coat

Figure 4: The contractor compacted the laid membrane