Geotextile Fabric Has Many Purposes
Geotextile fabric is made of synthetic rather than natural materials and has wide use for construction and erosion control. The prefix geo- refers to earth, implying that this kind of product is applied directly to the ground to accomplish a certain purpose. Some of the properties and purposes of these materials are discussed in this article.
This kind of product comes in many different forms. It could be woven, pressed into something that resembles felt, or even knitted. The woven products could look like a fairly open mesh or have a closer weave. The manufacturing process also creates holes in the material for the passage of water. The hole size and the thickness of the material depend on the particular function desired. Because the installations are often intended to be permanent, a synthetic formulation means that they will not degrade.
One application for this type of product is to separate layers that have different particle sizes. For instance, installing a layer of this material between the underlying soil and the layer of gravel that stabilizes a roadway will keep the gravel and soil from mixing under the pressure of the traffic. The stable foundation helps to maintain the integrity of the paving surface.
Another use is to help with water drainage. This material could be used both to gather water and channel it down and away from an area without causing a lot of erosion. This can be a great help during construction when there is a lot of ground disturbance and minimal erosion is desired. It can also be installed permanently to help get rid of excess rainwater or ground water.
Erosion control at the edges of bodies of water is another function for these types of products. The material is applied on the bank and covered with rocks. This keeps the water’s action from washing away the fine soil underneath, thus maintaining the shape of the bank.
Geotextile fabric comes in many different formulations, and each particular type of application has a material that is well suited to the purpose. The application of these materials has increased greatly in the last 20 years, and they have many other uses as well as those mentioned in this article.