This presentation discusses the application of natural fibers in geotextiles. Natural fibers from plants like jute, flax, and coconut are spun into yarns and fabricated into fabrics. These natural fiber geotextiles provide benefits like soil erosion control, drainage, and reinforcement. They have high moisture absorption and drapability. Testing shows natural fiber geotextiles can effectively separate layers, filter, drain, and reinforce soil for applications in road construction, riverbank protection, and embankments. In conclusion, natural fiber geotextiles perform comparably to mid-range synthetic geotextiles while being more environmentally friendly due to using renewable and biodegradable resources.
The Vietnam Believer Newsletter_MARCH 25, 2024_EN_Vol. 003
Application of natural fibre in geotextiles
1. A PRESENTATION ON APPLICATION
OF NATURAL FIBRE IN GEOTEXTILES
PRESENTED BY
SATYARANJAN BAIRAGI
DEPARTMENT OF JUTE AND FIBRE TECHNOLOGY
(INSTITUTE OF JUTE TECHNOLOGY)
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA
2. Natural fibres are extracted from plants and are then converted
into yarns by spinning. These fabrics are sometimes treated with
rot resistant materials or reinforced with synthetic fibres to
enhance their durability under different soil conditions without
affecting its strength and other properties. Fabrics from natural
fibres such as jute, flax, coconut , coir etc. are used to improve
soil erosion control and drainage applications.
INTRODUCTION
3. • What is Geotextile ?
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.
• What are Geosynthetics ?
American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) defines geo-
synthetics as a planner product manufactured from polymeric
material used with soil, rock earth or other geo-technical
engineering related material as an integral part of a man-made
project, structure or system.
4. GENERAL ATTRIBUTES OF MATERIALS
High moisture absorbing capacity
Excellent drapability (the best of all GTs)
High initial tensile strength
Low extension at break
High roughness co-efficient
High spinnability
Bio-degradable; soil nourisher
Renewable resource, easily available
Economical
Eco-friendly
8. FILTRATION
Two contrasting functions –
soil retention
allowing pore-water through and along the fabric
Provides a permanent mechanical and
hydraulic filter stability
9. DRAINAGE
Acts as a drain within its own thickness.
Permittivity and Transmittivity of JGT are high
10. REINFORCEMENT
Acts against rotational slides, lateral dispersion and vertical subsidence
Exerts confining action on soil
Partially absorbs effective stress,
preventing shear failure.
11. CONCLUSION
These natural fibre geotextiles are found to have superior
properties in comparison to the mid-range of synthetic geotextiles
for soil reinforcement, separation, filtration, drainage and civil
engineering etc. When considering strength and frictional
resistance. The high degree of frictional resistance of the
vegetable fibre geotextiles is probably developed from both the
coarseness of the natural fibre yarns. These vegetable fibre
geotextiles will be much more environment-friendly than their
synthetic counterparts and the fibre themselves are a renewable
resource that is biodegradable