Factors affecting the reinforcement mechanism of geotextiles

The reinforcing function of geotextUes is one of the most used in geotechnical engineering. Soils have much lower resistance to tensile forces than they do to compressive forces. Embedding a suitable geotextile within the 

For the geotextile to provide an effective reinforcement function, it should have not only a high tensile strength, but also a high tensile modulus so that its resistance to tensile loads generated within the soil occurs at sufficiently small strains to prevent excessive movement of the reinforced soil structure. It is self-evident that decreases in these properties with time (i.e. creep behaviour) must be low, and that the polymers used should have resistance to degradation by the soil. An estimate of the anticipated reduction in strength can be determined from an analysis of creep strain versus time plots for various stress levels and a suitable reduction factor applied. 

The robust nature of earthwork constructions is likely to make material damage a more significant factor for soil reinforcement than for other applications of polymer materials, and therefore consideration should also be given to possible strength loss caused by installation damage. 

Similar to the other functions, the combination of the above reducing factors should be accounted for to obtain the allowable tensile strength, 7, iow. Thus  

A most important additional requirement for the reinforcement function is that the geotextUe is made to have a good bonding strength, T, with the soil, so as to resist slippage of the soil over fabric surface or the pullout of the fabric from the soil. Evidently in order to ensure effective 

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