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According to the historical record, it is believed that the first

applications of geotextiles were woven industrial fabrics used in
1950͛s. One of the earliest documented cases was a waterfront
structure built in Florida in 1958. Then, the first nonwoven
geotextile was developed in 1968 by the Rhone Poulence
company in France. It was a comparatively thick needle-
punched polyester, which was used in dam construction in
France during 1970.
In fact, the geotextile is one of the members of the
geosynthetic family. Those members include the following
items as shown in Fig.1: [1-2]
Èhat is geotextile?

As we know, the prefix of geotextile, geo, means earth and the

͚textile͛ means fabric. Therefore, according to the definition of
ASTM 4439, the geotextile is defined as follows:
"A permeable geosynthetic comprised solely of textiles.
Geotextiles are used with foundation, soil, rock, earth, or any
other geotechnical engineering-related material as an integral
part of human-made project, structure, or system."

The ASAE (Society for Engineering in Agricultural, Food, and

Biological Systems) defines a geotextile as a "fabric or synthetic
material placed between the soil and a pipe, gabion, or
retaining wall: to enhance water movement and retard soil
movement, and as a blanket to add reinforcement and
separation." A geotextile should consist of a stable network
that retains its relative structure during handling, placement,
and long-term service. Other terms that are used by the
industry for similar materials and applications are geotextile
cloth, agricultural fabric, and geosynthetic

2. THE TYPES OF GEOTEXTILE

In general, the vast majority of geotextiles are made from
polypropylene or polyester formed into fabrics as follows:
Èoven monofilament
Èoven multifilament
Èoven slit-film monofilament
Èoven slit-film multifilament
Nonwoven continuous filament heat bonded
Nonwoven continuous filament needle-punched
Nonwoven staple needle-punched
Nonwoven resin bonded
Other woven and nonwoven combinations
Knitted
Fig. 2a: Non-woven

Fig 2b: Èoven geotextile fabrics

3. RAÈ MATERIAL OF GEOTEXTILE

The four main polymer families most widely used as the raw
material for geotextiles are:
Polyester
Polyamide
Polypropylene
Polyethylene

The oldest of these is polyethylene, which was discovered in

1931 in the research laboratories of the ICI. Another group of
polymers with a long production history is the polyamide
family, the first of which was discovered in 1935.The next
oldest of the four main polymer families relevant to geotextile
manufacture is polyester which was first announced in
1941.The most recent polymer family relevant to geotextiles to
be developed was polypropylene, which was discovered in
1954.
 The comparative properties of these four polymer are shown
in very general items in Table 1 [3].

H: High; M: Medium; L: Low

4. THE BASIC PROPERTIES OF GEOTEXTILE
The properties of polymer material are affected by its average
molecular weight (MÈ ) and its statistical distribution.
Increasing the average MÈ results in increasing:
tensile strength
elongation
impact strength
stress crack resistance
heat resistance

Narrowing the molecular weight distribution results in:

increased impact strength
decreased stress crack resistance
decreased processability

Increasing crystallinity results in:

increasing stiffness or hardness
increasing heat resistance
increasing tensile strength
increasing modulus
increasing chemical resistance
decreasing diffusive permeability
decreasing elongation or strain at failure
decreasing flexibility
decreasing impact strength
decreasing stress crack resistance

5. MARKET ACTIVITY

To say that the market activity of geosynthetics in the

geotechnical, transportation, and environmental areas is strong
is decidedly an understatement. To obtain an insight into the
vitality of geosynthetics, note the curves in the graphs in fig 3a
and 3b. The curves in Fig. 3a gives the estimated amount of
geosynthetics used in North America over the years(geopipe is
not shown ), while the curve in Fig 3b gives the estimated in-
place expenditures of these products.
Fig. 3a

Fig. 3b
àsed in the calculations were the data for 1995 (note that the
values are in millions of square meters and millions of dollars )

Geotextiles 500 Mm2 @ $ 0.9 / m2 = $ 450 M

Geogrids 40 Mm2 @ $ 2.50 / m2 = $ 100 M

Geonets 50 Mm2 @ $ 2.00 / m2 = $ 100 M

Geomembranes 75 Mm2 @ $ 10.00 / m2 = $ 750 M

Geosynthetic clay linears 50 Mm2 @ $ 2.5 / m2 = $ 125 M

Geocomposites 25 Mm2 @ $ 5.00 / m2 = $ 125 M

Geo-others 5 Mm2 @ $ 4.00 / m2 = $ 20 M

Total ( 1995 ) $ 1670 M

6. THE BASIC FàNCTION OF GEOTEXTILE

Geotextiles form one of the two largest groups of

geosynthetics. Their rise in growth during the past fifteen years
has been nothing short of awesome. They are indeed textiles in
the traditional sense, but consist of synthetic fibers rather than
natural ones such as cotton, wool, or silk. Thus biodegradation
is not a problem. These synthetic fibers are made into a
flexible, porous fabric by standard weaving machinery or are
matted together in a random, or nonwoven, manner. Some are
also knit. The major point is that they are porous to water flow
across their manufactured plane and also within their plane,
but to a widely varying degree. There are at least 80 specific
applications area for geotextiles that have been developed;
however, the fabric always performs at least one of five
discrete functions:

1. 

Geotextiles function to prevent mutual mixing between 2 layers

of soil having different particle sizes or different properties.
Fig. 4: Illustration of a geotextile fabric separating a gravel layer
from the underlying soil material
Drainage :
The function of drainage is to gather water, which is not
required functionally by the structure, such as rainwater or
surplus water in the soil, and discharge it [ 4 ].

Fig. 5: Drainage
Filtration :

Filtration involves the establishment of a stable interface

between the drain and the surrounding soil. In all soils water
flow will induce the movement of fine particles. Initially a
portion of this fraction will be halted at the filter interface;
some will be halted within the filter itself while the rest will
pass into the drain. The geotextile provides an ideal interface
for the creation of a reverse filter in the soil adjacent to the
geotextile. The complex needle-punched structure of the
geotextile provides for the retention of fine particles without
reducing the permeability requirement of the drain [5].
Fig.6: Filtration [5]
Reinforcement

Due to their high soil fabric friction coefficient and high tensile
strength, heavy grades of geotextiles are used to reinforce
earth structures allowing the use of local fill material.

Fig. 7: Reinforcement
Protection:

Erosion of earth embankments by wave action, currents and

repeated drawdown is a constant problem requiring the use of
non-erodable protection in the form of rock beaching or
mattress structures. Beneath these is placed a layer of
geotextile to prevent leaching of fine material. The geotextile is
easily placed, even under water [6].
7. APPLICATIONS

Case ( I ) :

Èet soil conditions in animal feeding and high-traffic live-stock

handling areas cause problems for both animals and producers,
as well as the environment. Ruminating animals, such as beef,
dairy, and sheep, often concentrate at stream crossings, in
paddock lanes, and in feedlots and barnyards. In association
with animal production, there will be concentrated farm
vehicular and equipment traffic. Èhen the animal and/or
equipment traffic is excessively high, the vegetation is
destroyed. During and after rainy weather, the soil in these
areas turns to mud, creating an unhealthy environment for
optimal livestock production, poor traction for farm equipment,
and potentially poor surface water quality. Once these areas
dry, they may provide rough and possibly hazardous footing for
the animals.

After the vegetation in these concentrated areas is destroyed,

the soil is bare and subject to erosion. In addition, once wet soil
that has been trampled by livestock dries, it has a greatly
reduced infiltration rate, and thus a much higher potential for
producing runoff of soil and manure. Both of these conditions
are conducive to creating a water quality problem. However, all
of the conditions summarized above cause problems for
producers as they try to properly manage the many operations
for a profitable livestock production system.

The use of geotextile fabric in these high-traffic livestock areas

can substantially reduce the occurrence of adverse conditions
(see Figure 1). The installation of geotextile fabric combined
with gravel can help provide a proper surface that animals,
humans, vehicles, and equipment can travel on, and can also
provide an erosion control benefit.

The purpose of this publication is to help producers,

landowners, and agency and industry personnel who work with
producers and landowners, understand the proper application,
installation, and maintenance of geotextile fabric for
agricultural applications. This publication provides an overview
of a demonstration project (àsing Geotextile Cloth in Livestock
Operations to Reduce Nutrient and Sediment Loading in the
Olentangy Èatershed) on the use of geotextile fabric in high-
traffic livestock areas. Some of the material provided is based
on cooperative agency-industry-producer experiences from
twelve project sites constructed in Morrow County, Ohio,
during 1994.
Case (II):

The leading cause of pavement and roadway failure in the à.S.

is contamination of the aggregate base and the resulting loss in
aggregate strength. Èhen aggregate is placed on a subgrade,
the bottom layer becomes contaminated with soil. Over time,
traffic loading and vibration punches pavement base aggregate
into the soil and causes silt and clay to migrate upward. On wet
sites, construction traffic causes pumping of weak subgrade
soils into overlying aggregate. All of these conditions decrease
the effective aggregate thickness destroying the road support
and reducing roadway performance and life.