GEOSYNTHETICS

Geosynthetics cover products with at least one component manufactured

of synthetic or natural polymer, namely in a form of band, belt or a three-
dimensional structure. They are used in contact with soil or other materials
in civil engineering earthworks and building constructions. Geosynthetic
fabrics can be made of various polymers; of polyester (PET), polyvinylalcohol
(PVA), polypropylene (PP), etc.

The benefit of PET consists in low elongation and high strength, PVA is
endowed with high strength, extremely low elongation and high chemical
resistance and PP is highly chemically resistant with acceptable elongation.

Geosynthetics cover:

 GEOTEXTILES
 GEOGRIDS
 GEOCOMPOSITES

Applications which can be solved by geosynthetics:

 soil reinforcement
 separation of soil
 filtrating function in soils
 improvement of load-bearing capacity
 retaining walls and bridge abutments
 erosion control
  asphalt reinforcement
 deep foundation

GEOTEXTILES

Geotextiles are flat, permeable, polymer-synthetic (PET, PVA, PP) or natural

textile materials which can be nonwoven, knitted or woven. They are used in
contact with soil or other materials in civil engineering earthworks and
building constructions. Geotextiles can provide separation, filtration
and reinforcing functions in a structure.

WOVEN GEOTEXTILES, KNITTED GEOTEXTILES:

 Woven geotextiles are manufactured by interlaying (usually

at right angles) of two or more sets of yarn, fibres, tapes or other
products. They are endowed with high tensile strength. Geotextiles
are flat fabrics consisting of two mutually perpendicular sets of
threads bonded with fabric weave.
 Knitted geotextiles are manufactured by looping of one or
more yarns, fibres or other elements.
Both geotextiles, woven and knitted, are beneficially used for a wide
range of both cohesive and non-cohesive soils and they support quick
formation of a natural soil filter. They facilitate dissipation of pore
pressures and, thanks to their strength characteristics and low
elongation, they improve mechanical properties of soil and enable
the construction of reinforcing ground structures in this way.

GEOGRIDS

Geogrids belong to geosynthetics materials that fulfill a reinforcing function

in a ground structure. They are formed by a flat polymer structure, namely
by a system of mutually perpendicular longitudinal and cross drawn
elements which can be bonded continually by weaving, welding, gluing or
binding in the points of intersection thus usually creating apertures with
sizes between 1 and 10 cm.

This allows penetration of particles of soil/rock or other geotechnical

materials through mesh apertures and formation of particle interlocking. It is
good for this reinforcing particle interlocking effect when the grains are able
to push through the mesh with at least a half of their volume into the
substrate layer.
Geogrids are used both for reinforcement of non-cohesive, cohesive soils and
formation made of coarse-grained materials.

Geogrids are classified as uniaxial and biaxial grids:

 Uniaxial grid - strength in the machine direction of

reinforcement is predominant
 Biaxial grid - strengths in the cross and machine directions of
the geogrid are equal

GEOCOMPOSITES

Geocomposites are polymer products, made by connecting two or more

types of geosynthetics, e.g. geogrid with nonwovens. They are used both for
soils (separation and reinforcing function) and for asphalt pavements
(reinforcing function, especially for repairs).

Reinforcing geocomposites utilize the benefits of a nonwoven geotextile and

a reinforcing woven or knitted geotextile or geogrid, an integral unit being
formed by stitching through or thermal bonding.

ASPHALT REINFORCEMENT

 Material of asphalt layers has low tensile strength - it results in

formation of cracks in the asphalt layer that can lead to reduction
of usability and service life of the asphalt topping.
 Geocomposites are most frequently used as reinforcing
geosynthetics material for asphalt layers. They increase tensile
 strength of the asphalt layer, accept a considerable part of
horizontal tensile stress in the asphalt layer and ensure its uniform
distribution in larger areas in case of a careful design.
 Geocomposites also prevent in formation and spreading of
reflex cracks by absorption of shear forces.
 A properly designed geocomposite reduces permanent
deformations and beating ruts.
 Geocomposites can be used for reinforcement of both new
asphalt roads and roads already damaged by cracks. Road
service life is extended considerably by reduction of creating and
spreading reflex cracks.

1. Rut depth ys after 15.000 passes (mm)

2. Amount of energy necessary for sample failure in Marshall test (J)

DEEP FOUNDATION WITH GEOTEXTILE

Kortex® Tube is woven geotextile (in tube form) encased the gravel-sand
piles. When founding with gravel piles, woven geotextile made of high
strength PET - Kortex Tube can be beneficially used. This geotextile is
twisted on a circular loom and the pile is covered by it. Its application is
necessary in case of soils with shear stress T < 15 kPa (peat, clay).

Basic advantages of founding using Kortex® Tube material under

such conditions:
  absorbing of shear forces which could lead to pile shearing
and its failure
 prevention of undesirable mixing of gravel sand with
surrounding fine-grained soil
 stabilizing aqueous conditions in subsoil

Other benefits of application:

 achieving an even settling

 gravel sand piles improve foundation conditions: they drain off,
increase modulus of elasticity of foundation
 safe value of shear strength is achieved relatively soon after
completing the pile so that it can be loaded already after short
period
 no need for a dense network of piles, such as it is the case with
concrete piles
 piles can be driven even in winter (up to approximately -10°C),
construction is accelerated considerably thanks to this fact -
piloting can be done in winter while consequent geotechnical
operations can be completed in spring
 this type of construction is more environment friendly

SOIL REINFORCEMENT

Soils have relatively low tensile strength so that they are not able to transfer
all of forces arising in a structure when it is loaded. The tensile forces
created can be transferred using geosynthetics materials - geogrids,
geotextiles or geocomposites. The geosynthetics products used as a
reinforcing element, hence the term reinforced soil.

To ensure satisfactory performance of the reinforcement, a low

elongation under stress and good design with respect to a type of soil
being reinforced is essential. Geogrids are more suitable for grainy
and non-cohesive materials (sand and gravel) while woven
geotextiles or reinforcing geocomposites are better for cohesive, fine-
grained soils (clay, loess).

Benefits of use of geosynthetics materials for reinforcement:

 improvement the mechanical properties of soils

 otherwise unsuitable types of soil can be used
 expensive structural designs are avoided
 undesirable mixing of soils and demands for earth moving are
minimised
 extension of the existing road or railway embankments to
increase their capacities can be easily achieved
 minimum land take required
 natural noise reduction barriers/ walls are easily constructed
 construction time is shorted (earthworks also in winter)
 embankment safety and stability is increased
 natural appearance of landscape is maintained
 costs for construction is optimised

IMPROVEMENT OF LOAD-BEARING CAPACITY

Use of geosynthetics materials represents one of effective methods

of improvement of load-bearing capacity, above all wherever
mechanical properties of local soil cannot provide the required level
of stability and load bearing capacity.

When constructing horizontal structures, geosynthetics materials are

utilized to balance uneven settling, to absorb loading forces and
frequently also to reduce thickness of expensive coarse-grained
material. Geosynthetics materials (above all geogrids) will form a
base composite by grainy material interlocking which is effective
even on the substrates formed by peat or soft silt.

Main advantages of use of geosynthetics materials for

transportation constructions:
 Founding on soil with low load bearing capacity
 Reinforcement of embankment above the piles
 Reduction of deformations of embankment bodies
 Separation of coarse-grained material and subsoil layers
 Utilization of inferior soils
 Achievement of the required high traffic speeds on the roads
and railways

 SUPPORTING STRUCTURES
 If we construct supporting structures or steep
embankments of soils, the shear strength of which would
be exceeded under normal circumstances, it is possible to
achieve the required safety using horizontal reinforcement of
the embankment layers with geosynthetics materials
(geogrid or geotextile).

 The face of retaining wall can be made of GABIONS or

CONCRETE ELEMENTS (prefabricated blocks, panels,
segments) where geosynthetics materials are used as
horizontal reinforcement. It can be also made as a SOFT FACE
(by so called wrapped-around method). The face of the
structure is formed by geosynthetics material itself in this
case, dropping fine-grained filling material out through the
apertures of the geogrid can be prevented by adding
nonwoven or erosion control geosynthetics in the face.

 Only in the cases when the angle of internal friction of

soil exceeds the slope inclination, it is not necessary to make
reinforced face. However, the slope surface should be
protected against effects of erosion using e.g. erosion control
geogrid.

 EROSION CONTROL
 Erosion control geogrids installed on steep slopes of
embankments prevent in washing soil particles from surface.
After vegetation, which provides erosion control of slope,
becomes grown, the PP geogrid will decompose after several
years.

 Use of erosion control geogrids for protection of river

and lake banks and sea coasts represents another method of
application. So called bags (sacks) can be made of
geosynthetics materials and aggregates that protect slopes
against water erosion.

 SEPARATION, FILTRATION
 Separation means keeping two layers of soil (with different
functions) apart in order to prevent in mixing and thus deterioration
of their functions in the structure. We meet such requirement most
frequently in case of transportation (road and railway) constructions
or under flat foundation constructions.
 Long-term
functionality of all
structural layers is
provided by preventing
any intermixing. A
separation element is
used in most cases
together with reinforcing
(when it is necessary to
increase load bearing
capacity of subsoil) or
filtration one (preventing in migration of fine particles in the
protected layer by water flowing). It is possible to utilize beneficially
so called strength separation for combination of separation and
reinforcing function - a woven geotextile with low value of elongation
 and high mechanical resistance.

If top filtration properties are not required (especially in clayey

soils), woven geotextiles are more suitable for this purpose than
nonwoven ones.

 REPLACEMENT NONWOVENS OF WOVEN PP

GEOTEXTILES:

nonwoven geotextile 200-300 g/m2 300-400 g/m2 400-450 g/m2

strength 12 - 15 kN/m 15 - 19 kN/m 18 - 25 kN/m
strain 60 - 80 % 60 - 80 % 60 - 80 %
CBR 2 - 2,3 kN 3 - 4 kN 4 kN
cone test mesh 16 - 25 mm mesh 14 - 25 mm mesh 8 - 20 mm
water permeability 0,035 - 0,085 m/s 0,055 m/s 0,055 m/s

can be replaced by PP Kortex® GTPP Kortex® GTPP Kortex® GTPP

geotextile 14/14 18/18 30/30
strength 14 kN/m 18 kN/m 30 kN/m
strain 18 % 19 % 15 %
CBR 3 kN 4 kN 4 kN
cone test mesh 17 mm mesh 14 mm mesh 8 mm
water permeability 0,04 m/s 0,05 m/s 0,06 m/s