Geotextiles in civil engineering

Geotextiles in civil engineering

The majority of geotextiles are produced using classic or conventional fabric manufacturing techniques. The manufacturing processes for the production of geotextiles can be broadly classified in two categories, (1) classic and (2) special geotextiles.11 In classic geotextiles, the products of the textile industry, such as woven, knitted, nonwoven fabrics, etc., are considered, whereas special geotextiles, while having a similar appearance to classic geotextiles, are not the direct products of textile technology, i.e. webbing, mats, and nets. A typical classification of the production of geotextiles is depicted in Fig. 4.6.11

What is the difference between a woven and nonwoven geotextile?

The use of geotextiles has steadily grown over the past century. Geotextiles were initially derived from existing textiles that were readily available on the market, such as carpet back and upholstery fabric. Manufacturers have modified geotextiles to provide increased benefits to roadway construction. While there are two main types (wovens and nonwovens), there is often still some confusion as to which product to use on your Jobsite. Common misconceptions about the functions of a woven geotextile vs. a nonwoven geotextile can often lead to added confusion. This tech-note will go into detail about the two main types of geotextiles and their functions.  

Nonwoven Geotextiles

Nonwoven Geotextiles

The most common nonwoven is a needle-punched product. Staple fibers or continuous filaments are bonded by mechanically entangling the fibers with barbed needles. It looks and feels like black felt. Occasionally, the product will be manufactured in white or orange. Orange nonwovens serve as a warning barrier indicating contaminated soils.

What is nonwoven geotextiles?

What is nonwoven geotextiles?

Nonwoven geotextiles are permeable geosynthetics made of nonwoven materials used along with geotechnical material (soil, rock, etc.) on the integral part of a civil engineering projects. It’s produced mechanically or chemically or by heat-bonding fibres together to form stable fibre network. Nonwoven geotextiles are frequently made polymers from synthetic material like polypropylene, polyethylene, polyamide, polyester, etc. The polypropylene fibre dominates in the geotextile application, cause of its low cost, low specific gravity and strength. But nonwoven geotextiles also made from natural fibres (jute, sisal, coir, etc).

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