Geosynthetics in erosion control — the principles

The principles of erosion control are basic, but geosynthetic materials manufactured and marketed for erosion control applications have varied significantly in the last decade. The problem of soil retention, protection, revegetation, and turf reinforcement can be solved with many different materials, both organic and synthetic. Specific material properties must, however, be met to achieve proper performance.

This paper provides a review of the primary geosynthetic materials used for erosion control and their basic applications, including blankets for ground cover, geotextiles for filter protection beneath armor, geotextiles for silt control, synthetic mats and blankets used for erosion control/revegetation and turf reinforcement. The paper also includes several generic, physical-property criteria for the materials to be used in the primary applications discussed.