Long-term performance of nonwoven geotextile filters in five coastal and bank protection projects

This paper evaluates the long-term performance of needle punched nonwoven geotextiles used as filters in coastal and river bank applications. Filtration and mechanical properties of nonwoven geotextiles exhumed from five separate projects in Europe and the Far East sites are reviewed. Hydraulic conditions varied from wave action to stream flow, and the filtered soils ranged from sands to marine clays. Performance was based on the condition of the site and the hydraulic and mechanical condition of the exhumed geotextiles as well as a comparison of the geotextiles used with respect to current filter design criteria.     

Hydraulic conductivity requirement of granular and geotextile filter for internally stable soils

A filter media satisfying the hydraulic conductivity requirements allows unimpeded seepage without generation of surplus pressure head and decrease of flow rate. This paper proposes design criteria for the hydraulic conductivity requirements of a filter based on governing flow equations. The results have shown that the hydraulic conductivity requirements of pressure head and flow rate are satisfied with a single condition of hydraulic conductivity of filter greater than or equal to the hydraulic conductivity of soil times the hydraulic gradient in soil. The proposed model is developed for saturated conditions and is also applicable for partially saturated conditions. The developed model is validated based on the experimental evaluations of sandy soil with three granular filters and two needle punched non-woven geotextile filters. The developed design criterion applies to internally stable soils with granular and geotextiles filters and offers an improvement in the standards and current design guidelines for protective filters.     

用图像分析法研究有纺土工织物单向受拉时孔径的变化

现有反滤设计中保土准则使用土工织物未受拉时的等效孔径,但平面单向拉伸会导致该值变化,变大则不满足保土准则,变小则不满足透水准则及淤堵准则。有纺织物孔径由孔径分布曲线和特征孔径反映,采用数字图像分析法对两种有纺土工织物单向受拉时孔径变化进行精确测定。有纺织物被单向张拉至3%,6%,9%和12%的平面应变,随着拉应变的增加,两种有纺土工织物开孔面积率增大;孔径分布曲线向孔径大的方向移动;3种特征孔径值（O30,O50和O95）增大,其变化率都与拉应变呈近似线性关系,且小孔径部分相对于大孔径部分随拉伸应变的增长而增大较快。     

加筋垫层承载性能和工程应用综述

随着土工合成材料技术在我国的应用和发展,土工合成材料加筋垫层已经在土木工程中得到广泛的应用,经济效益显著。但目前加筋垫层的作用机理与承载性能的研究远远落后于工程实践,加筋垫层设计计算还没有一套相对成熟的方法,直接影响了加筋垫层的进一步推广应用。本文在阅读大量国内外文献的基础上,归纳和总结了加筋垫层的承载性能和设计方法研究现状,指出目前存在的主要问题,并提出了进一步研究的方向。     

Drainage performance of geotextiles

It should be noted that the drainage conditions and mechanisms are somewhat different when geotextiles are used as back fill material behind retaining walls. One of the major differences is that the soil installed by the geotextile may not necessaroly be saturated. Generally, the drainage performance of geotextiles can be evaluated by examining combined behavior of geotextiles, soil particles and water. However, in addition to the above materials, in investigating the drainage performance of geotextiles as back fill material behind retaining walls, the effect of air should be taken into account. Therefore, this study has concentrated on investigating the effect of drainage performance of an initially dry geotextile. A further long-term test was carried out primarily to examine the mechanism and development of self-induced filters, which is believed to determine the drainage performance of the geotextile.     

Puncture resistance of polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles

It is common practice to use needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles as puncture protection for geomembranes against sharp objects like gravel or stones in either the soil above or the underlying soil/rock below. There are several design and experimental methods available for geotextile selection in this regard. None, however, directly address the type of resin or fiber from which the geotextile is made. This paper does exactly that insofar as a direct comparison of similar mass per unit area polyester (PET) versus polypropylene (PP) geotextiles are concerned. Furthermore, two types of PP geotextiles are evaluated; one made from continuous filaments and the other from staple fibers. Three different size and shaped puncture probes are used in the testing program. All three are ASTM Standards, i.e., D4833, D5495 and D6241.The test results clearly indicate that geotextiles made from PP fibers outperform those made from PET fibers at all masses evaluated. Clearly, the present trend of using PP resin for heavy nonwoven protection geotextiles seems justified on the basis of these test results. In addition, the continuous filament PP and staple fiber PP geotextiles performed equivalently over all mass ranges for the three different types of puncture tests.     

无纺织物单向受拉时孔径变化研究

现有反滤设计中保土准则使用土工织物未受拉时的等效孔径,但平面单向拉伸会导致该值变化,影响土工织物反滤性能。采用动力水筛法对三种无纺土工织物单向受拉时等效孔径变化进行测定。无纺织物被单向张拉至3%、5%和10%的平面应变,随着拉应变的增加,三种针刺无纺土工织物等效孔径减小。推求了无纺织物单向张拉时的等效孔径计算公式,对于较厚无纺织物,公式计算值和测试值较吻合,但对于较薄无纺织物,二值有一定差异。     

Design of non-woven geotextiles for coal refuse filtration

This paper presents research findings on grain size distribution changes of coal refuse affecting the design of non-woven geotextiles used as filters in rock drains at coal waste impoundments. The research involved performing hydraulic conductivity tests on refuse - geotextile filters followed by grain size distribution tests. Data was evaluated for geotextile filter retention, permittivity, and clogging potential requirements as published by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration’s Second Edition, “Engineering and Design Manual Coal Refuse Disposal Facilities”.Key findings indicate that refuse particles undergo slaking and aggregation which change the initial grain size distribution. Grading envelopes were developed and indicate that particle size zones influence the geotextile design parameters for retention, filtration, and clogging. The clogging criteria do not appear to be easily satisfied by the typical ranges of coarse coal refuse, at pre- and post-compaction grain size, for compatibility with non-woven geotextiles having an AOS = 0.212 mm.Conclusions impacting the specification and field installation of geotextiles include: i) post grain size distribution tests are suggested to be performed on specimens and at all compaction levels to observe changes in key indices of D₈₅ and D₁₅ for meeting retention and clogging criteria requirements; ii) the evaluation of the initial refuse stability indicate that at the low compaction energy conditions, which have mobile fines and high Cu values, are initially unstable with regards to their internal soil gradation; and iii) construction of geotextile wrapped drains is preferred to be made in pre-compacted refuse lifts. This condition is beneficial because the filter becomes more stable for retention and permeability; however clogging is still a concern.     

A new test apparatus for the study of geotextiles behaviour as filters in unsteady flow conditions: relevance and use

In many applications, geotextiles are subjected to cyclic hydraulic loads, for example, when used as revetment filters. A new test apparatus has been developed to investigate the influence of a cyclic component in the hydraulic gradient and the effect of boundary conditions. The boundary conditions to be considered in such applications of geotextiles are mainly the normal effective stress and the type of contact, which can be more or less continuous. The test apparatus presented in the paper is capable of reproducing these conditions while imposing a cyclic gradient. A set of tests have been performed using the apparatus in cyclic flow conditions perpendicular to the filtering interface: typical test results are also presented in the paper.     

Ten year creep puncture study of HDPE geomembranes protected by needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles

The need for a geotextile to be used for protection against geomembrane puncture by stones and gravel has been recognized for many years. There are presently several methods available for selecting such geotextiles. This paper, however, focuses on the “GRI-Method”, which was originally based on short-term tests and was extended empirically for long-term performance. The reduction factor for creep behavior (RFCR) is of particular interest since its impact on the resulting geotextile design is the greatest.     

Geotextile filtration opening size under tension and confinement

Nonwoven geotextiles have been used as filters in geotechnical and geoenvironmental works for half a century. They are easy to install and can be specified to meet the requirements for proper filter performance. There are situations where a geotextile filter may be subjected to tensile loads, which may alter relevant filter properties, such as its filtration opening size. Examples of such situations are silty fence applications, geotextile separators, geotextile tubes and geotextiles under embankments on soft soils. This paper investigates the effects of tensile strains on geotextile pore dimensions. A special equipment and testing technique allowed tests to be carried out on geotextile specimens subjected to tension and confinement. The results obtained showed that the variation in filtration opening size depends on the type of strain state the geotextile is subjected, under which the geotextile pore diameter may remain rather constant or increase significantly. However, confinement reduces the geotextile filtration opening size independent on the strain mobilised. An upper bound for the filtration opening size of strained nonwoven geotextiles is introduced and was satisfactory for the geotextile products tested.     

Investigating the influence of geotextile layers as biofilm granular filters to treat stormwater

This study investigated the application of geotextiles as sustainable urban drainage systems for degradation of organic pollutant load present in stormwater. Three experimental granular filter rigs were used, packed with alternating layers made up of gravel, pea gravel, sand and either an upper layer, an upper and lower layer or no layer of geotextile. The hydraulic loading capacity matched that commonly used on conventional sand filters. Standard water quality parameters were measured and collated data was evaluated using an ANOVA and Levine's test of homogeneity of variance procedure. It was found that the rig with both upper and lower geotextiles had a statistically significant difference in data from the rig with only a single geotextile layer. High chemical oxygen demand (58–80%) and suspended solids (88–99.99%) removal rates occurred for all rigs. However, the control rig showed increased outflow concentration of nutrients indicating the potential of geotextiles for stormwater treatment.     

Reexamination of traditional testing techniques for determining WRCs of woven geotextiles in full suction range

Woven geotextiles have been widely used in soil infrastructures for the reinforcement purpose. The hydraulic properties of a woven geotextile are not major reinforcement design parameters and the water retention capability of a woven geotextile is often ignored. The traditional testing techniques were designed for soils or nonwoven geotextiles, but not for woven geotextiles. Nowadays, a new type of woven geotextile with wicking fibers was developed which could be used for both drainage and reinforcement purposes. However, there are no proper testing techniques to determine the full-range water retention curve (WRC) for a woven geotextile, let alone for the wicking geotextile.This paper aimed at proposing a proper testing technique to determining the full-range WRC for the wicking geotextile and to compare the water retention capability of wicking and non-wicking geotextiles. Firstly, the traditional testing techniques were re-examined to check the suitability for characterizing the WRCs of woven geotextiles whose pore size distributions were anisotropic. Secondly, a proper testing technique was proposed and the WRCs of different types of woven geotextiles were determined. Thirdly, the WRCs of wicking and non-wicking geotextiles were compared to demonstrate the advantages of the wicking geotextile to hold and transport water under unsaturated conditions. Finally, the effect of wicking fiber on the water retention capability of the wicking geotextile was quantified.     

Filtration performance of non- woven geotextiles with internally-stable and -unstable soils under dynamic loading

In many applications, geotextiles are subjected to dynamic loading conditions, for example, below roads and railways, for which a Gradient Ratio (GR) test is often used to assess filtration compatibility of soil-geotextile systems. This paper presents results from GR filtration tests with internally-stable and -unstable soils under dynamic loading conditions. In the tests, four non-woven geotextiles were used with varying types of soils under a hydraulic gradient of 5. Test results were interpreted in terms of GR values, permeability values, and mass and gradation characteristics of the soil before/after testing as well as the particles passing through the geotextiles. The test results show that the dynamic loading resulted in an increase of soil migration within the soil as well as an increase in the quantity of soil passing through the geotextiles. The available criteria for evaluating the internal stability of soils are evaluated based on the experimental data. Based on the test results, improvements to filter retention design criteria are suggested which take into account the internal stability of soils under dynamic loading.     

Uniaxial strength testing of woven and nonwoven geotextiles

This paper describes the different design approaches using geotextiles and presents two types of uniaxial tensile testing: constant rate of strain and rapid loading creep tests. Tests are conducted using a woven geotextile and two nonwoven geotextiles. The effects of the width to length ratio of the test specimens, test temperature and strain rate are examined. Tests are also conducted with the specimen in air and when confined in-soil. The results illustrate that the load-extension behaviour of the geotextiles tested depends on the test conditions and hence the need to standardise these conditions is established.The relevance of test types and conditions to design and quality control is also discussed.     

Measuring hydraulic properties of geotextiles after installation damage

Since geotextiles have been progressively incorporated into coastal protection structures, the influence of installation damage on them has been the primary concern. During installation/construction, geotextiles are repeatedly subjected to high mechanical stresses which often exceed service stress. It is therefore vital to evaluate the mechanical and hydraulic damage and determine the consequences of these damages to better develop criteria for selection of suitable products. As these damages could reduce the material's mechanical strength and hydraulic efficiency, or in the severest form of damage, puncturing, would end the separation function. The properties investigated in this paper include the permittivity and apparent opening size (AOS) of geotextiles. Generally, the greater the drop energy of armour units applied to geotextiles, the greater the potential for damage. Findings show that the residual permittivity could increase significantly, 45% during installation. The preliminary design of coastal structures will be optimised as engineers and designers can better estimate the amount of damage on geotextiles upon installation.     

The influence of uniaxial tensile strain on the pore size and filtration characteristics of geotextiles

The influence of uniaxial tensile strain on the pore size distribution and filtration characteristics of geotextiles is studied. An experimental apparatus was designed and used to conduct tests for pore size distribution, flow rate through the geotextiles and the gradient ratio. Four geotextiles made of polypropylene (two heat-bonded nonwoven and two slit film woven) were studied. Throughout the test series, the geotextiles were stretched to maintain 5%, 10% and 20% in-plane uniaxial strains. The strained specimen test results were compared with those from unstrained specimen. The experimental results illustrate the pore size and the mean flow rate through the plain geotextiles increase with the increase in tensile strain. The differences in changed percentages for apparent opening size and flow rate between the two nonwoven geotextiles are much higher than those between the two woven geotextiles. The increase in tensile strain results in reduction in the gradient ratio for the soil–geotextile system. This effect is more pronounced for nonwoven geotextiles. More testing is recommended to gain a deeper understanding into tensile strain effect on various geotextiles.     

Geotextile revetment filters

The use of geotextiles as revetment filters comprised one of the earliest applications for these materials. In performing its role within the revetment structure the geotextile must meet specific mechanical and hydraulic criteria. The mechanical criteria presented in the paper are based on empirical relationships derived by correlating analysed in-situ performance with appropriate laboratory mechanical test methods. The hydraulic criteria presented in the paper rationalizes the plethora of published geotextile filter criteria, and consider such variables as geometric and hydrodynamic stability, mode of water movement through the geotextile filter, and type of foundation soil to be protected.     

单向拉伸对土工织物反滤性能影响的试验研究

为研究单向拉伸对土工织物反滤性能的影响，选取两种条膜机织有纺织物和两种短纤针刺无纺织物，将不同拉应变下的织物与非连续级配土组成反滤系统，利用梯度比渗透仪测试系统反滤参数随拉应变的变化。根据反滤设计的透水、保土和防淤堵3个准则，分析拉应变对透水率、漏土量、梯度比等各参数的影响。试验结果表明：随着拉应变增加，有纺织物透水及防淤堵性能增强，保土性能减弱；无纺织物则相反，透水及防淤堵性能减弱，保土性能增强；同种土工织物厚度越大，拉应变对其反滤性能影响越大。     

Comparison of the behaviour of various geotextiles used in the filtration of clayey sludge: An experimental study

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of various geotextiles used to filter clayey sludge. The use of geotextiles to filter clayey sludge or suspensions of fine particles in water is more complex than that for filtering suspensions of granular soils. In practice, such applications generally use flocculants to postpone the formation of a low-permeability filter cake. The objective of the present study, which does not use flocculants, is to determine how geotextile characteristics affect the capacity of the geotextile to filter clayey sludge. Three key questions are addressed: (1) What are the main differences between vertical and horizontal filtration? (2) How do geotextile characteristics (nature, opening size, permeability, etc.) affect its capacity to filter clayey sludge (3) How do clayey sludge characteristics (i.e., grain size distribution and concentration)? and the type of flow (i.e., constant head or constant flow) affect the filtering capacity of geotextiles? To evaluate the capacity of a geotextile to filter clayey sludge, we propose three relevant criteria and analyse two filtration phases induced by different cake-formation processes (controlled by the geotextile and controlled by the filter cake). To determine the main differences between vertical and horizontal filtration, the settling of fines in the testing device and its influence on the results are analysed and discussed. This study shows that, for the various clayey sludge tested, the geotextiles (needle-punched nonwoven and thermally bonded nonwoven) with the smallest opening sizes (O₉₀?≤?60?μm) give the most promising results for filtering fines without the use of flocculants. Of these geotextiles, the thermally bonded nonwoven structure seems to offer the best filtration performance for the largest range of fines concentration in the sludge.