Geotextile containment units marine engineering applications

Sand fill is normally used for geotextile containment units in marine engineering applications because it is permeable, it is stable when the sand fill is dense, and it does not undergo volume changes with time, ie, settlements. Fine-grained fills stabilised with cement or polymer have also been used in geotextile containment units for marine applications however, this is a new, emerging development and is not discussed further in this chapter. 

Geotextile containers are used for a range of marine engineering applications which require placement of the units at water depth. These include offshore breakwaters (Fig. 20.10(a)), containment dykes (Fig. 20.10(b)), artificial reefs (Fig. 20.10(c)) and slope buttressing (Fig. 20.10(d)). Some of these applications are discussed in further detail later in this chapter. 

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