Geotextiles are vital tools in the construction of roads, drains, harbor works, breakwaters and many other projects. They’re also often used in civil engineering. What makes them truly dynamic is their ability to perform different functions within all of these different projects. Here’s a look at some of the most common applications for geotextiles.
- Separation
This application is just what the name suggests. The geotextile is laid between two distinct layers of different materials. This could be two different types of soil, old and new pavement, or soil and new construction. There are an endless amount of possibilities. Separation is nearly indistinguishable from stabilization, but there are some distinct variations to achieve stabilization.
- Stabilization
In a typical stabilization application, the geotextile is laid on a material that’s compressible. Most often, that’s a wet, soft soil. The geotextile is then able to allow water from the soft soil to pass into a more freely draining material. This consolidates the bottom layer, which strengthens it and makes it a more reliable base.
- Reinforcement
In this application, the geotextile is a source of strength rather than strengthening the bottom soil as in stabilization. That also means that rather than being placed on top of a layer that needs to be strengthened, reinforcement applications are accomplished by placing the layer within the weak layer. In this way, reinforcement through geotextiles is similar to reinforcement techniques for other materials, like concrete.
- Filtration
This application is also similar to stabilization in that the primary function is to allow water to be passed out of the covered layer. The goal of filtration is to remove water without allowing soil or other fine materials to pass through. This is accomplished in conjunction with a filter behind the geotextile. Water is simply removed rather than being filtered into another material.
- Moisture Barrier
Essentially, this application for geotextiles is the opposite of what’s been discussed. Rather than allowing water through the geotextile, water and other materials are blocked by applying an asphaltic emulsion. This makes the geotextile impermeable and ideal for use in projects like pavement rehabilitation.
Whatever your needs for geotextiles are, Maxwell Supply in Tulsa has the products you need to do the job right. Call us, stop by and say hello, or browse through our online inventory.