This document discusses geotextiles, which are synthetic fabric materials with permeable qualities used in civil engineering projects. Originally intended as soil filters, geotextiles can separate, reinforce, filter, protect or drain soil depending on their properties. The document outlines the history of geotextiles from the 1950s, describes their key characteristics like permeability and strength, and discusses the main types (woven, non-woven, polyspun, spunbound), fibers used (natural and synthetic), and applications in infrastructure like roads, ponds and pipelines.

2. Introduction
• We are surrounded by different types of textiles in our daily lives.
• Geotextiles is a bit different from them, but are very popular due to their use
in over 80 different types of applications around us.
• These are simply synthetic fibers turned into a fabric with permeable
qualities and are resistant to biodegradation.
• Originally, geotextiles were intended to be used as an alternative to the soil
filters.
• These fabrics have been used to separate, reinforce, filter, protect or drain,
depending on the textile’s intended properties.
• Often known as geosynthetics, geotextiles are mostly used in civil or
environmental engineering projects.

3. Fact 1: History of Geotextiles
• Originally geotextiles were known as filter fabrics. In the 1950s, R.J.Berrett
started working with geotextiles, using them in erosion control situations
like behind precast concrete sea-walls, below large stone ripraps, under
precast concrete erosion control blocks, etc.
• For this, he used different woven monofilament fabrics, with 6 to 30% of
the open area.
• Need for permeability along with soil retention, with fabric strength and
elongation made geotextiles ideal for use in filtration situations.
• But, geotextiles go way back. Geotextiles were one of the first textile
products possibly used in human history.
• Surprisingly so, Egyptian sites excavations have shown the use of linen and
grass mats.
• This early on, geotextiles were made usually with natural fibers or
vegetation mixed with soil to improve road stability.

4. Fact 2: Characteristics of Geotextiles
Geotextiles should be able to permit material exchange between soil and air,
so it should be permeable for plants to grow roots, and rainwater to enter
the soil, or excess water to drain out without causing erosion, etc. This makes
the following certain characteristics necessary to be present in geotextiles:
• Physical characteristics: Right specific gravity, weight, stiffness, weight, and
density
• Mechanical characteristics: right tenacity, tensile strength, drapability,
bursting strength, flexibility, frictional resistance, and tearing strength.
• Hydraulic characteristics: permeability, transitivity, porosity, turbidity, and
permittivity
• Degradation characteristics: resistance to the bio, hydraulic, photo, chemical,
and mechanical degradation.
• Endurance characteristics: abrasion resistance, elongation, and right clogging
length.

5. Fact 3: Types of Geotextiles
Woven Geotextiles:
Woven geotextiles are used mainly for separation and
reinforcement functions. High tensile strength and load capacity
characteristics make these suitable for the above-mentioned
functions. These are relatively impermeable, while not good
with drainage; they have high compressive strengths making
them ideal to be used in the construction of roads, etc.
Non-Woven Geotextiles:
Non-woven textiles are felt like materials which lack on the
tensile, shear or compressive strength fronts but are too good in
fields where separation, drainage or filtration properties are
needed. They hence are good for hardscape projects or for
erosion control.

6. Fact 3: Types of Geotextiles
Polyspun Geotextiles:
Polyspun geotextiles are also non-woven material with
separation being their main function. These material are
permeable, thus are used to provide drainage, but they
fail to provide any form of reinforcement. These are
commonly used as weed barriers.
Spunbound Geotextiles:
Lastly, Spunbound geotextiles are also non-woven material and
are manufactured using one of the fastest fabric manufacturing
methods. During the manufacturing process, extruded filaments
are spun in a belt, and are bounded by heat. These materials are
also used for drainage, and cannot provide reinforcement. These
are mostly used as drainage fabrics or as weed barriers.

7. Fact 4: Fibers Used For Geotextiles
Natural fibers
– in forms of paper strips, wood shavings, jute nets, or wool mulch are used in
geotextiles.
– Natural geotextiles are used specifically when they are required to bio-degrade in
a relatively shorter period of time, like when they are used for preventing soil
erosion till vegetation sets.
– Commonly used natural fibers in geotextiles are ramie and jute.
Synthetic fibers
– are mostly used for geotextiles.
– There are 4 main synthetic polymers, polyester, polyethene, polyamide and
polypropylene that are widely used for manufacturing geotextiles.
– The common synthetic polymers used from these families in geotextiles are
Chlorinated Polyethylene (CPE), Ethylene copolymer Bitumen (ECB), Polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Polyesters (PET), etc.

8. Fact 5: Applications of Geotextiles
• For a broader understanding, geotextiles can be understood as any textile
product used under the soil.
• This makes geotextiles handy in applications like streets, ponds, pipelines,
embankments, etc. reinforcements.
• In any application, geotextiles are used for six discrete functions, separation,
filtration, reinforcements, drainage, protection and sealing.
• These functions also make geotextiles useful in multiple environmental and
civil projects.

9. For more insight in this topic, visit
www.stitchdiary.com