Geotextile is a type of geosynthetic material that is permeable in nature. It is typically made from polypropylene polymers and polyester. The use of geotextile fabric is for increasing stability of the soil, controlling soil erosion and helping out in drainage.

Production of an array of geotextiles is possible using different polymers and manufacturing processes. Therefore making them useful for varied applications in the civil construction industry. Geotextile products are also appropriate for use in environmental engineering and geotechnical design.

Now there are a handful of varied types of geotextile fabrics but among them non-woven and woven fabrics are most popular. In this blog, we enumerate some of the key factors that help in differentiating the two.

Keep on reading till the end to find out more.

Geotextile And Its Functions

The use of geotextiles are commonly seen to improve soil over which embankments, roads, earth retaining structures and pipelines are built. Whether it is woven geotextile for roads or non-woven for drainage solutions, geotextiles can perform many critical functions. Some of them are -

Separation

When a particular area has two different soil materials, separating the two of them becomes essential to gain the most benefits. The installation of geotextile between two different soil materials helps in performing the function of separation. 

In such circumstances, the geotextile will separate the two dissimilar materials so the needed soil properties can be obtained. The main purpose of using geotextile for separation is that when water seeps into the soil strata, the geotextile fabric effectively prevents soils from mixing. 

For instance, in road construction projects, it is recommended to keep fine subgrade aggregates separated from the bottom layer of the coarse aggregates. This action contributes towards keeping the drainage characteristics intact. 

As the geotextile helps in preventing the fine aggregate from filling the voids between the larger aggregate. Geotextiles that perform this function have specialized thickness and permeability characteristics for ceasing soil contamination and also enable water flow through without compromising the structural capacity and strength of the road.

Non woven geotextile fabric is generally preferred for the purpose of separation.

Reinforcement 

There are a few critical factors based on which the geotextile is used for boosting soil characteristics. These are -

  • Support of loads
  • Movement or friction restraint
  • Bearing failure plane alterations

Geotextiles are used on roads and embankments that are developed over extremely poor grade soils, permitting steeper embankments. For applications as such, it is always suggested to develop and follow design parameters offered by an expert geotechnical engineer.

Filtration

Geotextile fabrics are also used for the purpose of filtration. As the use of these fabrics allow water to move in both directions. Both non-woven and woven geotextiles can serve this purpose as they help in preventing fine aggregates from coming in between soil layers.

Based on the permeability and porosity of geotextile material it can also dissipate the kinetic energy formed by the capillary rise of groundwater and even promote lateral flow of water drainage.

This is why choosing the best geotextile fabric traders is important to get the most benefits out of the products. The geotextile fabrics can be applied both in vertical or horizontal orientations, therefore, maximizing the scope of solving drainage problems along roads, curbs, etc.

Sealing

Geotextile material is capable of impregnating with asphalt or other mixes to transform them into impermeable material. This helps in restricting the liquids flow in both directions.

This function can only be performed by using non-woven geotextile fabric. The sealing capacity of such fabrics is used for the prevention of soil contamination or to avoid pollutants affecting groundwater or to decrease potable water loss due to contamination or evaporation.

Protection

Geotextiles also provide the function of protecting the soil from erosion that can happen in embankments due to repeated drawdown or currents, etc. A layer of geotextile material installation can come handy in preventing fine material leaching.

They can be used as mattress structures or rock beaching. These materials can also be easily placed under water.

Non-woven vs Woven Geotextiles

While there are a few of the different geotextile fabric types available, the non-woven and woven ones are the most common. The two fabrics are distinct from one another in many ways. Some of the highlighting differences are -

  • A woven geotextile fabric has a high tensile strength and load capacity whereas a non-woven fabric is measured by its weight.
  • Non-woven geotextiles are mainly used for filtration, drainage and separation functions. On the contrary, woven geotextiles are an ideal choice for stabilization and reinforcement applications.
  • The flow through rate of non-woven fabrics are high but the woven fabrics have low flow through rate making them semi-permeable.

If you are looking for expert non-woven and woven geotextile distributors then get in touch with Dutco Tennant LLC now.