- Also see Geosynthetics.
Geotextiles, as they are known and used today, were first used in filtration applications and were intended to be an alternative to granular soil (sand and gravel) filters. Thus the original, and still sometimes used, term for geotextiles is filter fabrics. Barrett [1] tells of work originating in the late 1950s using geotextiles behind precast concrete seawalls, under precast concrete erosion control blocks, beneath large stone riprap, and in other erosion control situations. He used different styles of woven monofilament fabrics, all characterized by a relatively high percentage open area (varying from 6 to 30%), since sand was the soil being retained. He discussed the need for both adequate permeability and soil retention, along with adequate fabric strength and minimal elongation and set the tone for geotextile use in granular soil filtration situations.
In the late 1960s Rhone-Poulenc Textiles in France began working with nonwoven needle-punched fabrics for somewhat different applications. Here emphasis was on unpaved roads, beneath railroad ballast, within embankments and earth dams, and the like. The primary function in many of these applications was that of separation and reinforcement. Additionally, a quite different use of this particular style of fabric was also recognized, that is, that thick nonwoven fabrics can also transmit water within the plane of their structure (i.e., they can act as drains). Such uses as dissipation of pore-water pressures and liquid flow interceptors, grew out of this particular drainage function. Today's use of the word geotextiles recognizes these many possible functions of fabrics when used within a soil mass.
Credit for early work in the use of geotextiles should also be given to both the Dutch (Akzo) and the English (ICI Fibres). The first nonwovens used in the U.S. were imported from ICI Fibres by Mirafi, Inc. in the late 1970s. Rankilor [2] describes this worldwide movement of geotextiles in the formative years. ICI Fibres provided early design-related literature that was very significant in the proper use of geotextiles in a variety of applications. Chemie Linz (now TC Nicolon) in Austria, Naue Fasertechnik in Germany, and du Pont and Mirafi in Europe and the United States (now BBA Nonwovens and TC Nicolon, respectively) were also early leaders in the technology. These firms and many others have continued to introduce geotextiles on a worldwide basis. Today many textile manufacturers are involved in the production, sales, and distribution of geotextiles.
A number of conferences were held exclusively on the subject of geotextiles. More recently, the conferences have branched into the entire breadth of geosynthetics. They began in Paris in 1977 and continue under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) on a four-year interval at worldwide locations. The original two books on the subject—those of Koerner and Welsh [3] and Rankilor [2] appeared in 1980 and 1981, respectively. Today, additional books along with thousands of separate papers and reports are available dealing with geotextiles. Also dedicated journals/periodicals have been launched dealing with all types of geosynthetics [4,5]. This massive generation and dissemination of information was led initially by geotextile manufacturers. Their influence in this market continues to be active, and indeed is very positive and welcome. Such product initiation has been followed by an entire community of governmental, industrial, consulting, research, testing and academic institutions using today’s geotextiles.
Perhaps the culmination of this activity was the formation of the International Geotextile Society (IGS) in 1983, which currently has thirty-one national and regional chapters. All are active with separate conferences, symposia, and seminars on a variety of geosynthetic-related topics and activities.
References
- Barrett, R. J., “Use of Plastic Filters in Coastal Structures,” Proceedings from the 16th International Conference Coastal Engineers, Tokyo, September 1966, pp. 1048-1067.
- Rankilor, P. R., Membranes in Ground Engineering, New York, Wiley, 1091
- Koerner, R. M. and Welsh, J. P., Construction and Geotechnical Engineering Using Synthetic Fabrics, New York, Wiley, 1980.
- Rowe, R. K., ed., Journal of Geotextiles and Geomembranes, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers.
- Ingold, T., ed., Geosynthetics International, T. Telford Publishers Ltd.
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