​A seminar report on  

​Geotextiles  
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of degree of 
CIVIL. 

JEWEL DUTTA 

28.11.2019 4th Year Civil ​Roll -1658117 

 
 

Preface 
I ​Jewel Dutta​ have made this on the topic Geotextiles.I have tried my level best to 
elucidate all relivant detail on the topic to be included in the report.While in the 
beginning i have tried to give a general view on the report. 

My effort and wholehearted cooperation of everyone have ended on a successful note.I 

express my sincere Gratitude to ​Prof. Sourav Kar ​who assisted me throughout the 
preparation of this topic.I thank him for the reinforcement confidence and guiding me 
on the right track whenever needed. 

_________________________ ________________________ 

​Students Signature​.​ ​Teacher's 

Signature 

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Contents 
 

Introduction 

What is Geotextile 

Geotextile history 

Properties of Geotextile 

Types of Geotextile 

Functions 

Advantages 

Disadvantages 

Uses 

Conclusion 

Referrence. 

 
  

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INTRODUCTION 
Geotextiles have proven to be among the most versatile and cost-effective ground 
modification materials. Their use has expanded rapidly into nearly all areas of civil, 
geotechnical, environmental, coastal, and hydraulic engineering. They form the major 
component of the field of geosynthetics, the others being geogrids, geomembranes and 
geocomposites. The ASTM defines geotextiles as permeable textile materials used in 
contact with soil, rock, earth or any other geotechnical related material as an integral 
part of civil engineering project, structure, or system. Based on their structure and the 
manufacturing technique, geotextiles may be broadly classified into woven and 
nonwoven. Woven geotextiles are manufactured by the interlacement of warp and weft 
yarns, which may be of spun, multifilament, fibrillated or of slit film. Nonwoven 
geotextiles are manufactured through a process of mechanical interlocking or thermal 
bonding of fibers/filaments. 

Mechanical interlocking of the fibers/filaments is achieved through a process called 

"needle punching". Needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles are best suited for a wide 
variety of civil engineering applications and are the most widely used type of geotextile 
in the world. Interlocking of the fibers/filaments could also be achieved through 
"thermal bonding". Heat-bonded geotextiles should be used with caution, as they are not 
suitable for filtration applications or road stabilization applications over soft soils. 

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What is Geotextile 
Geotextiles are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the 
ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain. Typically made from polypropylene 
or polyester, geotextile fabrics come in three basic forms: woven (resembling mail bag 
sacking), needle punched (resembling felt), or heat bonded (resembling ironed felt). 

Geotextile composites have been introduced and products such as geogrids and meshes 
have been developed. Geotextiles are able to withstand many things, are durable, and 
are able to soften a fall if someone falls down. Overall, these materials are referred to as 
geosynthetics and each configuration—geonets, geosynthetic clay liners, geogrids, 
geotextile tubes, and others—can yield benefits in geotechnical and environmental 
engineering design 

Geotextile history 
 

This opening chapter of the book traces the origin of polymeric geotextiles from their 
beginnings until 1977, which was the year of the first international conference on the 
emerging topic held in Paris, France. After that time, geotextiles rapidly became 
available worldwide and the formative period was essentially concluded. Furthermore, 
from that year onward, books, journals, courses, magazines, societies, institutes, and 
many more conferences followed in rapid succession and continue to the present. 

The very earliest time frame (1950s and 1960s) described in this chapter first saw the use 
of woven fabrics in coastal and hydraulic engineering in The Netherlands, Germany, and 
the United States. This was followed by the emerging use of nonwoven fabrics in several 
European countries (in the early 1970s), which somewhat contrasted with the further use 
of woven fabrics in the United States. Some other countries were also involved, and they 
will be noted accordingly. A major point to be made throughout these very beginning 
years was that besides some smaller textile companies (TenCate/Nicolon, Huesker, and 

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Carthage-Mills), many large chemical companies (most notably ICI, Rhone-Poulenc, 

Chemie Linz, and Enka/AKZO in Europe and DuPont, Phillips, Amoco, and Celanese in the 
United States) were the “drivers” of early technology. Their sales, marketing, and 
technical personnel initiated many field applications. They also performed in-house 
research and even funded limited external research. This, in turn, spurred several 
faculty and consulting engineers to further explain the details and nuances of the 
applications being developed. 

Properties of Geotextiles 
 

The Characteristics of Geotextiles are Broadly Classified as: 

1. Physical properties: 

specific gravity 

weight 

thickness 

stiffness 

density . 

2. Mechanical properties: 

tenacity 

tensile strength 

bursting strength 

drapability 

compatibility 

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flexibility 

tearing strength 

frictional resistance 

3. Hydraulic properties: 

porosity 

permeability 

permittivity 

transitivity 

turbidity /soil retention 

filtration length etc. 

4. Degradation properties: 

biodegradation 

hydrolytic degradation 

photo degradation 

chemical degradation 

mechanical degradation 

other degradation occurring due to attack of rodent, termite etc. 

5. Endurance properties: 

elongation 

abrasion resistance 

clogging length and flow etc 

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Functions 
Every textile product applied under the soil is a geotextile. The products are used for 
reinforcement of streets, embankments, ponds, pipelines, and similar applications. 
Depending on the required function, they are used in open-mesh versions, such as a 
woven or, rarely, warp-knitted structure, or with a closed fabric surface, such as a 
non-woven. The mode of operation of a geotextile in any application is defined by six 
discrete functions: separation, filtration, drainage, reinforcement, sealing and protection. 
Depending on the application the geotextile performs one or more of these functions 
simultaneously. 

  

Separation​: 

Separation is defined as, “The introduction of a flexible porous textile placed between 
dissimilar materials so that the integrity and the functioning of both the materials can 
remain intact or be improved”. In transportation applications separation refers to the 
geotextile’s role in preventing the intermixing of two adjacent soils. For example, by 
separating fine subgrade soil from the aggregates of the base course, the geotextile 
preserves the drainage and the strength characteristics of the aggregate material. The 
effect of separation is illustrated in below.   

Geotextile in separation 

They are used in all classes of roads and similar civil foundation as the base of 
construction on contaminated layer is the single most cause of premature failure. The 
use of separator prevents pumping effect created by dynamic load and also helps the 
passage of water while retaining soil particles. In theses types of geotextiles, thickness 
and permeability are most important characteristic properties.  

  

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Filtration​: 

It is defined as “the equilibrium geotextile-to-soil system that allows for adequate liquid 
flow with limited soil loss across the plane of the geotextile over a service lifetime 
compatible with the application under consideration”. In filtration, fabrics can be either 
woven or non-woven, to permit the passage of water while retaining soil particles. 
Porosity and permeability are the major properties of geotextiles which involves in 
filtration action. Application helps the replacement of graded aggregate filters by a 
geotextiles warping. These applications are also suitable for both horizontal and vertical 
drains. A common application illustrating the filtration function is the use of a geotextile 
in a pavement edge drain, as shown in below. 

Geotextile in filtration 

Drainage (Transmissivity): 

This refers to the ability of thick nonwoven geotextile whose three-dimensional structure 
provides an avenue for flow of water through the plane of the geotextile. Figure 6 also 
illustrates the transmissivity function of geotextile. Here the geotextile promotes a lateral 
flow thereby dissipating the kinetic energy of the capillary rise of ground water. 

Reinforcement​: 

This is the synergistic improvement in the total system strength created by the 
introduction of a geotextile into a soil and developed primarily through the following 
three mechanisms: 

Lateral restraint through interfacial friction between geotextile and soil/aggregate 

Forcing the potential bearing surface failure plane to develop at alternate higher shear 
strength surface 

Membrane type of support of the wheel loads. 

In this method, the structural stability of the soil is greatly improved by the tensile 

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strength of the geosynthetic material. This concept is similar to that of reinforcing 

concrete with steel. Since concrete is weak in tension, reinforcing steel is used to 
strengthen it. Geosynthetic materials function in a similar manner as the reinforcing 
steel by providing strength that helps to hold the soil in place. Reinforcement provided 
by geotextiles or geogrids allow embankments and roads to be built over very weak soils 
and allows for steeper embankments to be built. 

Sealing Function: 

A non-woven geotextile performs this function when impregnated with asphalt or other 
polymeric mixes rendering it relatively impermeable to both cross-plane and in-plane 
flow. The classic application of a geotextile as a liquid barrier is paved road 
rehabilitation, as shown in below. Here the non-woven 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.  

Advantages of Geotextiles 
The geotextiles market requires bulk quantities of material. Warp-knitted weft-insertion 
geotextiles offer the following advantages when compared to woven geotextiles: 

Strength-for-strength, they are lighter than woven geotextiles using the same yarn.This 
makes for easier handling and laying on site; thus transport and labour costs are less in 
real terms. 

Knitted geotextiles have exceptional tear strength. Additional strength can be designed 
and built-in to the weft direction such that a bi-axial high tensile, high strength 
warp/weft geotextile becomes a reality; e.g. 500kNm warp and 500k Nm weft. 

Knitted geotextiles can incorporate an additional fabric to form a true composite 

geotextile, the fabric being simply knitted-in. 

The individual yarns in the warp knitted weft-insertion geotextile are straight when 
incorporated, so they are able to take-up the strain immediately on loading. Those in 
woven geotextiles are interlaced. 

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Disadvantages 
 

Blockage 

There are certain disadvantages to Geotextiles. They are susceptible to blockage by 
sediments; organic residues; plant roots; fungi and algae; viscous petrochemical 
compounds and slimes. In the context of riding arenas, consideration should also be 
given to the effect on a geotextile of the breakdown of organic riding surfaces (such as 
shredded timber or bark) and to a lesser extent on the breakdown of horse and pony 
droppings to form an impervious bio-detritus coating. If, on inspection, the geotextile is 
seen to have been blocked by detritus, it must be replaced to re-establish the drainage 
regime. 

Laying, Rips and Repairs 

Geotextiles are susceptible to being ripped if the overlying layer is too shallow or gets 
displaced during exercise. If horses or ponies - especially young stallions - are left 
unsupervised to exercise in an arena which is also required to double as a holding area, 
then their inquisitiveness frequently leads them to attempt to dig up the geotextile. 
Consequently, a graded filter design is the preferred option in such circumstances. Once 
ripped the Geotextile has a tendency to admit the overlying layer through the rip, 
causing it to ride up through the layer and expose itself to further damage. The upper 
layer simultaneously pipes into the underlying layer blocking off the drainage path. We 
recommend that the geotextile be overlapped and at least glued with silicone sealant 
where applicable to guard against this problem at the joins (The manufacturer of Terram 
Geotextile recommends that the fabric should be stitched together at the joins when used 
in equine arenas), but we have recommended a cheaper alternative which has proven 
successful. Overlap the topmost layer in the direction of drainage flow. Should a rip 
occur it should be repaired immediately by clearing the sand off the affected area and 
glueing down a patch (min. size 1.2m x 1.2m) over the rip. The sand should then be 
replaced. This article may prove useful... Geotextile Joints 

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Cost 

All that said, Geotextiles are generally cost effective to buy and to lay. They form a visible 
barrier between different media, admitting only moisture across the barrier, provided 
they are properly selected for performance and protected during use. In certain areas of 
the country, where the materials for a graded filter cannot be sourced nearby, they may 
provide the best solution. 

Uses 
Some of the applications areas are: 

Between subgrade and stone base in unpaved and paved roads and airfields 

Between subgrade in railroads 

Between land fills and stone base courses 

Between geomembranes and sand drainage layers 

Beneath sidewalks slabs 

Beneath curb areas 

Beneath parking lots 

Beneath sport and athletic fields 

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CONCLUSION 
Geotextiles have been used very successfully in road construction for over 30 years. 
Their primary function is to separate the sub base from the subgrade resulting in a 
stronger road construction.The geotextile performs this function by providing a dense 
mass of fibers at the interface of the two layers. It is suggested that the ability of a 
geotextile to act as a separator is largely independent of the mechanical characteristic of 
the geotextile and that strain softening geotextiles can still perform this role when 
strained past their peak values. A strain energy approach to design is not routine in 
geotechnical engineering design, as it is difficult to quantify the external energy supplied 
to the system and the internal energies of the individual components making up the 
construction. Recent research has suggested that an equivalence of strain energy, 
between different geotextile types, may exist up to the in service strain. Comparing the 
actual strain energy and that calculated using a simplified approach shows that 
significant errors are introduced by firstly ignoring the nonlinear characteristics of the 
stress-strain curve and secondly by not considering the entire area under the 
stress-strain curve to rupture of the geotextile. Based on the difficultly in using the strain 
energy approach in geotechnical engineering design and the significant inconsistencies 
that can exist in its calculation, it is suggested that the concept of.-strain energy is not an 
appropriate parameter for characterising geotextiles. 

REFERENCES 

1. Www.google.com 
2. Wikipedia  
3. CIVTECH AND TKC 

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