By

Maithra .P.T
(4JC05CV029)
1
 Introduction
 GEOSYNTHETICS is a term applied to cover several
products such as
 Geotextiles
 Geomembranes
 Geocomposites
 Geordies etc

Functions of Geotextiles:
• Separator to keep apart two types of soils
or materials.
• Filter
• Erosion control and interface protection
• Tensioned membrane to impart strength to
weak foundation soil
Types of geotextiles:

Woven: manufactured from

continuous monofilament fibres
just like textiles.

 Non-woven:
 Continuous or staple fibres laid down in a random
pattern & mechanically entangled into a relatively thick felt
like fabric by means of punching with barded needles.-
needle punched.
• Continuously laid down in a random pattern & then jointed
at the fiber crossover points by thermal or chemical bonding
& pressed by rollers into a thin fabric. - bonded
Application in civil engineering :

 Surface soil erosion control

 Bank protection in rivers and waterways
 Erosion control in slopes
 Stability of embankments for highways &
railways
 Consolidation of soft soil
 Initial reinforcement
 Vegetation support
Natural Geotextiles

 Coir

 Jute
 Coir Geotextiles
What is coir?
 Coir is a 100% organic fibre, from
a coconut husk.
 Naturally resistant to rot, moulds
and moisture.
 Needs no chemical treatment.
 Hard and strong, it can be spun
and woven into matting.
 They can dissipate the energy of
flowing water and absorb the
excess solar radiation.

Advantages are:
 High tensile strength of coir fibres protect steep surfaces from
soil erosion due to heavy flows.
 Totally bio-degradable.
 Water absorbent fibre acts as a mulch on the surface and as a
wick in the soil mantle.
 Excellent air and water permeability.
 Holds the seeds and saplings in place.
 Degrades over a period of time (2.5 to 6 years).
APPLICATIONS:
 Erosion control blankets for controlling slope
erosions
 Mulch blankets
Coir draining blanket for consolidation
Construction of embankment
Protection to the side slopes
Mechanism of erosion control by vegetation growth
Spreading grass for the control of erosions
Wind erosion control and sand dune formation
using coir geotextile
INSTALLATION
The geotextile may be in rolls or in bale form. It is placed
on the ground and unrolled such that the tighter mesh faces
the direction from which the wind generally blow or towards
the heel of the dune,
 The portion with spacey mesh is placed flat and stapled to
the ground using wood or metal staples.
The tight mesh portion is held perpendicular to the ground
and tied to wooden or metal stakes as shown in the figure.
 Seeding is done in the spacey mesh portion and fibre roll
is laid over it (optional).
Fibre roll is also stapled to the ground. In case of planting
of saplings, fibre roll is stapled first and then holes are made
in the roll to allow planting.
This roll along with the geotextile itself acts as a mulch
layer.
GEOTEXTILE SYSTEM SIX MONTHS AFTER INSTALLATION
Banks & slopes protected by coir.
Technique of Surface Control Using Coir Netting

 Stapling of coir netting

 A team of two persons is the most efficient way to install
staples.

 Staples are inserted at intervals not greater than 3 to 4 feet

along overlaps conventional gravel lining process.
Grass growing
on erosion
control blanket

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The dense natural fibre pads
shield the ground from weather
and water erosion, and the fine
fibre matrix also filter out silts
and promotes sedimentation.

Consequently general water

quality is improved through the
ability to control erosion.

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Natural geotextile mattress
substrates work in harmony
with nature, to protect and
support banks, and
shorelines, while promoting
restoration of wetland
environments.

The dense natural fibre

rolls dissipate wave
energy, protect against
water scour, and retain
the bank while plants
develop.
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 JUTE
 Jute has traditionally been used for packaging,
however, its versatility is only coming to light now as
the world looks on for natural options to save the
environment.

 The time has come, for this natural fibre to take over
as the ideal solution for the problems relating to
soils. Be it in conserving the soil and the
environment or in applications like civil engineering,
which are essential for the progress of civilization.

 Jute is a biodegradable organic fibre and has the

capacity to act as effective soil stabilizer for certain
intended applications.
 Jute Geotextiles
 Functionally, Jute Geotextile (JGT) does not have any dissimilarity
with man-made Geotextiles, commonly known as Synthetic
Geotextiles, that are made of artificial fibres from various petro-
chemical derivatives as their source.
 The functions are - separation, filtration, drainage and initial
reinforcement.
 JGT helps in quick growth of vegetation by coalescing with the
soil, increasing its permeability, retaining the appropriate
humidity as "mulch" and creating a micro-climate that is
conductive to vegetative growth.
 In fact, JGT is the most acclaimed natural fabric that provides
biotechnical solutions to vulnerable exposed soil.

 Biodegradability is some times considered as a disadvantage. This

is to be borne in mind that all geotextiles act as catalyst in the
process of improving engineering properties of soil.

 An effective life span of two season-cycles is found to be

sufficient for natural consolidation of soil known as "filter cake"
formation from extensive laboratory tests and field trials.
Biodegradability of JGT is, therefore, not a discouraging factor.
 JUTE GEOTEXTILE
MAJOR COMPONENT OF JUTE:
 Lignin(12 – 14%) , Wax(0.40-0.8%) , Ash (0.5 – 1.0%) ,
 Nitrogen (83 – 87%) , Holocellulose(0.2 – 0.4%)

 The distinguishing features that make it more

eco- friendly are:
 High moisture absorption capacity
 Flexibility
 Drainage properties

Applications of GeoJute

 Erosion Control
 Separation, filtration & drainage in civil engineering works .
 Agricultural use
 Stabilisation of waste
 Prevention of reflection cracks
WOVEN JUTE GEOTEXTILE
Type Weight Width Poromet micron Permittivit Durabi
(gsm) (cm) ry Strength y at 10cm lity
(O90) (MDxCD) water head (Yrs)
kN/m (1/ m2
/sec)

I Grey 760 76 300 20X20 50 1

(Untreat
ed)

Bitumen 1200 76 150 20X20 25 4

treated

II Grey 900 200 250 40X40 30 1

(untreat
ed)

Treated 900+ 200 250 40X40 30 1

(Rot
resistant
)
NON – WOVEN JUTE GEOTEXTILE

Type Weight Width Strength Co-efficient of Expected

(gsm) (cm) (MDxCD) Premittivity Durability
(kN/m) (mtr / sec) (Year)

I 500 150 4x5 3.4x10-3 1

II 1000 150 6x7 3.4x10-4 1

 Future Applications
Considering the physical attributes, JGT is worth trying in the following
sectors which are environmentally sensitive

 Watershed Management / Management of Fly-ash (PFA) heaps /
Management of solid municipal wastes (solid refuse).

 Jute Geotextile holds technical potential and commercial advantage in

respect of the following engineering uses

 As backing of Turf Reinforced Mats (TRM), construction of temporary

roads e.g. Haul roads in mines, as Fabriforms, in Asphaltic Overlays.

On going Research
Indian Jute Industries’ Research Association (IJIRA), the premier research
organisation on Jute-based products, is working in developing stronger wider
and durable Jute Geotextile. The research is in an advanced stage.
New application areas are also being explored e.g. as a reinforcer of
conventional asphaltic road overlay,
as fabric-form for protection of river bank.
Environmental Aspect of NGT

 NGT- pose no environmental threat.

 Its cultivation & manufacturing process are
pollution free.
 A comparative study between jute and
polypropylene (pp) in respect of waste generation,
water requirement, energy consumption and
carbon dioxide emission in their production
reveals that they are much superior to PP
(Environmental Protection Encouragement
Agency, EPEA, Hamburg, Germany )
 Unlike man-made geotextiles which are not
biodegradable, NGT poses no disposal problems.
BENIFITS OF THIS SYSTEM
 The geotextile is made from natural fibres and is
therefore eco-friendly.
 The geotextile yarns themselves retain moisture and
thus help in speedy establishment of vegetation.
 It decays after 1 to 5 years decomposing to form
humus and adding organic matter to the soil causing
soil to form larger aggregates.
 It decays to form a natural fertiliser for the growing
plants.
 It prevents the seeds from being blown away by the
winds.
 The perpendicular portion of the net provides shade
for the growing plants
 The perpendicular portion of the net traps slating soil
particles and controls soil erosion due to wind.
• It acts as a wind barrier by slowing the wind and helps slow
down erosion immediately on installation.

• It allows some wind to pass through, slowly and therefore is

not damaged by storms easily.

• Installation is fast, easy and economical.

• It speeds up wind erosion control and sand dune
stabilisation process considerably bringing immediate
benefits.

• In coastal applications it bears the saline sea spray and

helps vegetation growth.

• On sea beaches the netting absorbs moisture, gets wet and

therefore is not suitable for campfire.
Versatile coir fiber block system for
streambank and shoreline restoration:
 CASE STUDY
Application of “horizontal coir blankets over vertical
drain” method
 By pass in NH17 on Calcutta stretch, runs through
an embankment on soft clay deposits.

Found - not possible to construct an embankment.

Proposal- provide vertical drains of dia 25cm, 8m depth,

at 2m C/C with a horizontal Coir drainage blanket,
connected at the top level and covering the plan area.

1st 1m height was put up over this blanket.

2nd stage of construction after ensuring that the soils had

undergone primary consolidation.
Jute Geotextile as drainage of Joshimath–
Mallari Road , Himachal Pradesh, India
Km 5.6 on SH- 45 in UP. Experienced – subsidance and sinking
during monsoons. Damage to retaining wall.
Remedial measure suggested: systematic network of road side
trenches & cross trench drains.
No further sinking till date.
 CONCLUSIONS:
 Natural geotextiles, when used for erosion control,
saves the useful topsoil.
 They Production cost is less. Hence it is an
economical answer to solve the problems of erosion.
 are hard, strong and do not require any pre
treatment. Easy and less time required to install
 They are extensively used where temporary
reinforcement is required.
 Natural geotextiles, being an eco-friendly product,
can be used for sustainable development of
infrastructure.
 New research has shown that they can be used
sustainably for soil related problems.
 Coir is a versatile product, available abundantly throughout
the country, produced at cheaper costs, and, it is, as such a
sure and economical answer to the problems related to
primary consolidation of soft soils and can be preferred to
any other commodities available at present.
 They can be used to enhance the characteristics of the
ground.

 Jute is yet another eco-friendly natural geotextile, which

finds applications in the field of soil engineering.
 A comparative study between jute and polypropelene (pp)
in respect of waste generation, water requirement, energy
consumption and carbon dioxide emission in their
production reveals that jute is much superior to PP.

 This seminar clearly shows beyond doubt that, both Coir

and Jute geotextiles can be safely and economically used as
an effective answer to problems relating to consolidation
and erosion, sustainably.
THANK YOU