GEOSYNTHETICS Deepti Avirneni

WHAT IS A GEOSYNTHETIC ?
Natural or artificial product used along with soil in
geotechnical constructions
Natural: Coir, jute, hemp, etc.
Artificial: Polymeric or metallic
WHY GEOSYNTHETICS ?
Entirely changed the way geotechnical engineering is
practiced
Innovative solutions to solve difficult problems
economically
Enables use of local materials sustainable solutions
Unskilled labor can be employed
Does not require heavy machinery
GEOSYNTHETIC (GS) MATERIALS
Geotextiles
Geogrids Permeable Non-permeable
Geonets Geotextiles Geo-membranes
Geomembranes
Geogrids
Geosynthetic clay liners Clay liners
Composites
Geopipe
Geofoam
Geocomposites
FUNCTIONS OF GEOSYNTHETICS
Separation
Reinforcement
Filtration
Drainage
Containment
FUNCTIONS OF GEOSYNTHETICS
Allows the passage of fluids preventing the
Filtration migration of soil particles
Geotextiles, geocomposites

Transport of fluids
Drainage Geonets, geocomposites

Prevent the mix of two different materials

Separation Geotextiles, geocomposites
FUNCTIONS OF GEOSYNTHETICS
Avoids damages to a structure, or a material
Protection Geotextiles, geonets, geocomposites

Fluid barries
Impervious Geomembranes, geocomposites

Reinforcem Provide tensile forces in the soil

ent Geogrids, geotextiles
FUNCTIONS OF GEOSYNTHETICS

Erosion Avoid the detachment and transport of soil

particles, eg: geocells
control

Confineme Restrain the lateral movement of soil

nt Geocells
 GEOTEXTILES
Engineered sheet like products
made of natural or synthetic
material
Woven and non-woven types
Used for separation, drainage,
filtration, erosion control and
reinforcement
GEOTEXTILES
majority are made from polypropylene fibers
standard textile manufacturing
woven (slit film, monofilament or multifilament)
nonwoven (needle punched or heat bonded)
characterized by an open and porous structure
mechanical and hydraulic properties vary widely
very versatile in their primary function
GEOTEXTILES

Woven fabric weave Non-woven fabric

pattern is visible Randomly oriented fibres
GEOTEXTILES
Natural Geotextile made of jute

Woven Non-woven
GEOTEXTILES
 GEOGRIDS
Sheet like products with open
apertures
Excellent interlocking with soils
High strength products used for
reinforcement
 GEOGRIDS
Bidirectional equal strength in
both directions
Unidirectional main strength in
machine direction
Focuses entirely on
reinforcement applications, e.g.,
Walls, steep slopes, base and
foundation reinforcement
GEOGRIDS
 GEOGRIDS

Geogrid as
reinforcement in
flexible pavement
 GEONETS
Made from high density
polyethylene
Results in parallel sets of ribs as a
integral unit
Biplanar flow is equal in all
directions
Triplanar flow much greater in
machine direction
 GEONETS

Apertures are of diamond

shape
Thickness is larger than that
of geogrids
Function is always in-plane
drainage
GEONETS
GEOCELL
Three-dimensional honeycombed cellular
structures
Form a confinement system when infilled with
compacted soil
Applications
Erosion Control
Ground Stabilization
Retaining Walls
Slope & Channel
GEOCELL
Retaining walls
GEOCELL
Pavement applications Prevent erosion
 GEOMEMBRANES
Thick impervious plastic
sheet
Thickness ranges from 0.5 to
3 mm approximately
To contain liquids and gases
Applications
Landfill lining
Canal lining
Tunnel lining
GEOMEMBRANES

As landfill lining
GEOMEMBRANES
As canal lining
GEOMEMBRANES
As tunnel lining
 GEOSYNTHETIC CLAY LINERS
Consists of a core of bentonite
clay sandwiched between layers
of thick non-woven geotextile
Applied below and above
geomembrane layers in landfills
Self-repair mechanism
Bentoninte expands when
fluid leaks through punctured
geomembrane - closes the gap
GEOSYNTHETIC CLAY LINERS