Geosynthetics for soil reinforcement

Geosynthetics for soil reinforcement have been used in geotechnical structures for over forty years. Their field of application is vast, since they can be installed :

• on embankments of hydraulic structures or waste storage facilities;

• at the base of embankment built on :

  • compressible soil,

  • in areas at risk of cavities,

  • soil improved by rigid inclusions ;

• in earthworks to build reinforced embankments or retaining structures...

The advantage of these products is that they provide the soil with a tensile strength that the soil alone does not possess (or very little in the case of cohesive soils), thereby increasing the stability of a structure. The use of these products is generally more economical than other construction solutions, and makes it possible to exploit new areas that are currently neglected because they present safety risks for users.

Numerous types of reinforcement geosynthetics are available on the market, and although they differ in construction, they all have to meet the same nominal characteristics, as determined by standardized laboratory tests. These characteristics may subsequently be degraded during the installation of the products and during the service life of the reinforced structure, and the design of geosynthetics must take these possible degradations into account.

This article presents :

• reinforcement geosynthetics ;

• laboratory tests to determine their characteristics;

• interaction mechanisms between geosynthetics and their environment ;

• taking influence factors into account ;

• the principles of their implementation and dimensioning in geotechnical structures.

For certain structures, examples of requirements are given, enabling the engineer to draw up specifications.

Geosynthetics is a highly standardized field. This point is also addressed so that the reader understands this normative framework, which is essential for the development of techniques.