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Geotextiles and Geomembranes

journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/locate/geotexmem

Application of innovative meandrically arranged geotextiles for theprotection of drainage ditches in the clay ground

Jan Broda a, *, Andrzej Gawlowski a, Ryszard Laszczak a, Andrzej Mitka b,Stanislawa Przybylo a, Joanna Grzybowska-Pietras a, Monika Rom a

a University of Bielsko-Biala, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biala, Polandb Eurovia Polska, Miedzyrzecze Gorne 83, 43-392 Bielsko-Biala, Poland

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 4 January 2016Received in revised form9 May 2016Accepted 1 July 2016Available online xxx

Keywords:GeosyntheticsGeotextileErosion controlKemafil ropes

* Corresponding author. Institute of Textile EngineUniversity of Bielsko-Biala, ul. Willowa 2, 43-309 Biels8279100.

E-mail address: [email protected] (J. Broda).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2016.07.0030266-1144/© 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Please cite this article in press as: Broda, J.,ditches in the clay ground, Geotextiles and

a b s t r a c t

The geotextiles produced from meandrically arranged Kemafil ropes were prepared. The ropes wereproduced from textile waste materials: woollen nonwoven and nonwoven from the blend of recycledfibres. The ropes were arranged into segments which were used for the protection of the bank of thedeep drainage ditch and reinforcement of shallow roadside ditch in the clay ground. The geotextiles wereinstalled in the ground and their behaviour during one vegetation season was observed. It was statedthat during heavy rains the meandrically arranged ropes form a system of micro-dams which slow downthe stream of water flowing down on the surface of the ditch bank as well as the stream flowing alongthe ditch. The geotextiles installed on the ditch banks eliminate the formation of erosive channels andprotect the banks against sliding. The geotextiles absorb water what ensures retention of water flowingalong the ditch. Due to enhanced soil and water holding capacity geotextiles protect grass seeds frombeing washed out and facilitate the development of protective vegetation. Materials used for the pro-duction of the ropes reveal sufficient resistance to biological degradation. Slow biodegradation of thematerials enable keeping the protective potential of geotextiles for at least one vegetation season.

© 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

1. Introduction

Geosynthetics have been used for protection of slopes andembankments for over 50 years (Shukla and Yin, 2006). The firstattempts of applying geosynthetics in erosion protection wereundertaken in the late 1950s. In 1958 geosynthetic component wasincorporated for the first time into an erosion control system(Theisen, 1992). Later, for erosion control, the jute blankets in theform of woven mesh of thick yarns were used (Abdullah, 2008;Ghosh, 2013; Ghosh et al., 2014).

In the following years roll-out mulch blankets fromwood fibresand a twisted kraft paper were introduced. The great step whichinfluenced the process of slope, channel and embankments pro-tection, was the introduction of products made from polypropyleneand other synthetic materials (Carroll et al., 1992). Synthetic

ering and Polymer Materials,ko-Biala, Poland. Fax: þ48 33

et al., Application of innovatGeomembranes (2016), http:

products quickly gained a great popularity and were often usedseparately or as part of composite materials (Wu and Austin, 1992).

Nowadays geosynthetics play a major role in the erosion andsediment control industry (Pritchard et al., 2000; Rickson, 2006;Bhattacharya et al., 2010; �Alvarez-Mozos et al., 2014a, 2014b).Geosynthetics are willingly used because of their light weight andrelative low price. Contrary to hydroseeding, mulching or otherprotective methods applying geosynthetics provide immediate soilprotection. Geosynthetics, usually supplied as rolled products, areeasily spread on the slopes and e by using various anchoring de-vices e are easily fixed in place (Allen, 1996). A great variety ofmaterials enables selection of the product most suitable for localconditions.

For erosion protection non-degradable and degradable geo-synthetics are used. Once installed, the non-degradable productsintegrate with vegetation and provide long term protection for aperiod of at least a dozen years. The assortment of such geo-synthetics includes spatial mats and nets from synthetic fibres,steel meshes, modular panels and geogrids. The second group, thatis degradable geosynthetics, provides short term protection for 1e3years, usually in the early stages of the development of protective

ive meandrically arranged geotextiles for the protection of drainage//dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2016.07.003

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Table 1Parameters of nonwovens used for the production of the ropes.

Material Thickness [mm] Mass per squaremetre [g/m2]

Woollen nonwoven 5.7 ± 0.3 408.0 ± 26Nonwoven from

recycled fibres2.9 ± 0.1 302.0 ± 9

J. Broda et al. / Geotextiles and Geomembranes xxx (2016) 1e92

vegetation, which later takes over the protective function. By pro-gressive decomposition the degradable geosynthetics provideorganic matter and nutrients to the soil, which may enhance itsmicrobiological activity and accelerate the growth of protectivevegetation. In some cases the degradable geotextiles contain seedsor seedlings. The degradable geosynthetics include anti-erosionmats from straw, paper or wood chips as well as non-woven fab-rics made from natural fibres: jute, sisal, cotton, wool and coir(Anand, 2008; Le~ao et al., 2012; Vishnudas et al., 2006, 2012).

Besides the traditional products used in the practise for manyyears, new ideas are developed and new innovative products enterthe market. In recent years an important research has been per-formed on using recycled plastics or biodegradable polymers pro-duced from renewable resources (Lin et al., 2014; Trajkovi�c et al.,2015).

Some years ago in Poland some attempts to apply innovativegeotextiles from recycled textiles were undertaken. The geotextilesdesigned for erosion control, built from coarse ropes made fromtextile wastes were obtained. The ropes were successfully used forthe protection of sandy roadside slopes as well as banks of anexpansion tank (Broda et al., 2015). In the experimental trials theropes were laid on a slope diagonally to form 60e70 cm sidedsquares and fastened to the ground with metal anchors. The gridcreated fromthe ropeswas coveredwith the soil andsownwithgrassseeds. After one year of exploitation it was stated that geogrideffectively protects the slope and has a positive effect on plantvegetation. Recently innovative geotextiles from coarse ropes ar-ranged in meander-like pattern connected by additional linkingchains have been invented (Helbig et al., 2006a, 2006b) The mean-drically arranged geotextiles were successfully used in Germany forthe protection of the steep slopes at road construction (Seeger, 2009).

For the production of coarse ropes various techniques can beused. In the above mentioned attempts the Kemafil technology,which was developed in 1974 at the Institute for Industrial TextilesDresden in Germany, was applied (Berthold and Arnold, 1975). Thetechnology involves the use of a circular knitting machine, which isequipped with four hooked loopers arranged around a guide tube.The threads guided by loopers form around the core tubular knittedsheath. The sheath consists of four stitch courses running parallel tothe longitudinal axis of the ropes and the stitch wales runningspirally around the rope (Arnold et al., 1993). During the years theKemafil technology has been modified several times. After the lastmodifications the technology enables production of thick ropeswith a core-mantle structure, which can be filled with variousmaterials and covered by thin fabrics.

In our studies the Kemafil technology was used for the pro-duction of coarse ropes from textile waste materials. The ropeswere meandrically arranged to form geotextiles designed forerosion control. The suitability of the geotextiles to protect drainageditches and reduce the effect of water surface erosion of clay soilwas evaluated.

2. Materials

The coarse Kemafil ropes with a 12 cm diameter were produced.For the production of ropes the woollen needle-punchednonwoven and stitch-bonded nonwoven from recycled fibreswere used. The stitch-bonded nonwovenwas produced by Maliwatsystem from the blend of natural and synthetic fibres. For stitchingof the web the polyester multifilament thread with a linear massdensity of 148 dtex was applied. To the nonwoven grass seeds wereincorporated. The basic parameters of the used materials are pre-sented in Table 1.

The net sheathing the ropes was made from the cotton twinewith a diameter of 230 dtex. The number of rows on the length of

Please cite this article in press as: Broda, J., et al., Application of innovatditches in the clay ground, Geotextiles and Geomembranes (2016), http:

1 m of the sheath for woollen nonwoven and nonwoven fromrecycled fibres was 25 and 28 m�1, respectively (Fig. 1).

The ropes weremeandrically arranged in segments of a width of1.8 m (Fig. 2). The subsequent turns of meandrically arranged ropeswere connected with regularly spaced five chains formed from fivesubsequent loops produced with knitting technique. For the for-mation of chains the polypropylene three-wire twine from fibril-lated fibres with a linear density of the 310 dtex was used.

3. Measuring methods

The basic geometrical and mechanical parameters of the ma-terials used for the production of ropes were determined. Thethickness, mass per square metre, tensile strength and elongationat break of nonwovens were measured in accordance with PN-ENISO 9863e1 (2007), PN-EN ISO 9864 (2007) and PN-EN ISO 10319(2010) standards. The mechanical parameters were measured intwo directions, along and across the nonwovens. In measurementsthe thickness gauge for geotextiles ZAN/95 and the tensile machineKS50 Hounsfield were used. Additionally, the static and dynamicpuncture resistance by CBR and cone drop tests were determined.The measurements were carried out according to PN-EN ISO 12236(2006) and PN-EN ISO 13433 (2006) standards.

The thickness and mass per square metre were tested beforeforming the ropes. The measurements of other parameters wereperformed before installation and after six months of exploitationof the ropes in the soil. Before the measurements the samples weredried and preliminary cleaned from the soil particles and rootsprotruding from the ropes.

4. Site characteristics

The geotextiles were used experimentally for the protection ofdrainage ditches located in the area of newly formed investmentzone in Miedzyrzecze near Bielsko-Biala (Silesia, Poland). The zoneincludes a slightly hilly terrain covering the area of 71 ha. Thegeological expertise of the terrain revealed that the soil has acompact structure and consists mainly of clay. As a result of thatcompact structure and composition, during dry periods the soilquickly dries and a hard shell is formed on its surface. In rainyseasons only a small amount of water infiltrates into the deeperlayers of the soil. Large part of the rainwater remains on the surfaceand flows down along the slope. The surface water flow becomesmerged in a small concentrated stream and begins to erode chan-nels in the soil surface. Moreover, during the long rain or springthaws the soil is plasticized and an earth flow is observed.

To drain the excess of precipitation flowing down the hills onthe surface of the terrain a deep drainage ditch that drains water tothe storage reservoir was built (Fig. 3a). The steep banks of the ditchwith a slope inclination of 1:1.5 and a length of 4e6 m are exposedto the intense overland flow erosion. As a result, numerous open,unstable and deep erosive channels over 0.5 m deep wereconstantly created (Fig. 3b).

In order to eliminate the deep erosive channels the banks of theditch were repeatedly levelled. The performed operations led onlyto temporary levelling of the slopes. After the next heavy rainfallnew deep erosive channels were formed (Fig. 4a). Moreover, the


Fig. 1. The Kemafil ropes covered by knitted sheath.

Fig. 2. The segment of meandrically arranged ropes.

J. Broda et al. / Geotextiles and Geomembranes xxx (2016) 1e9 3

levelling of the banks has loosen the soil on the surface of the ditchbank, making it vulnerable to being washed away as water levelsrise. During rains the flowing water scoured away the bank soil ande consequently e the foot of the banks was undermined and theirsliding were observed (Fig. 4b).

In addition to the deep ditch channelling thewater flowing fromthe sloping terrain, along the newly constructed road a shallowroadside ditch was built (Fig. 5a).

To avoid bed erosion and landslip of the banks the ditch wasreinforced with openwork concrete panels (Fig. 5b). During theexploitation it was observed, that at high precipitation the ditch isquickly filled with large quantities of water. Due to the slightinclination of the road (inclination angle 3%) the stream of waterquickly accelerates and flows down along the ditch in the concretebed at high speed. As a result, at the mouth of the ditch into thereservoir a serious erosive damage is observed.

5. Results

5.1. Installation of geotextiles

The meandrically arranged geotextiles were used to protect thebanks of the deep drainage ditch and reinforce the shallow roadside

Fig. 3. The rainwater drainage system; a/ drainage dit


ditch. The geotextiles were installed in spring at the beginning ofthe vegetation season.

Segments of the meandrically arranged ropes were rolled outand spread on the surface of levelled banks of the deep ditch, onboth sides of the open, concrete drain channels already installed ona slope (Fig. 6a). The geotextiles made from various materials weremounted separately in steady places. The segments were anchoredin the crown of the slope and fastened at the surface of the slopewith steel “U-shaped” pins (Fig. 6b). The long pins made fromribbed bars of diameters f ¼ 6 mm and f ¼ 8 mm were used.

The mounting scheme and the arrangement of mounting pinsare presented in Fig. 7. After mounting the geotextiles were coveredwith local soil.

Several segments of the geotextiles made from woollen andrecycled fibres nonwovens were used to reinforce the part of theroadside ditch (Fig. 8a). The sections with meandrically arrangedropes were situated between sections reinforced with the concretepanels. For the installation of geotextiles the site with the highestroad inclination were chosen.

The segments were arranged in the ditch with turns perpen-dicular to the ditch axis (Fig. 8b). The middle zone of segments waslaid in the bed of the ditch, while its both lateral zones were benton the ditch banks. The segments were anchored to the soil withsteel “U-shaped” pins, both to the bottom and the banks of theditch.

5.2. Effect of geotextiles on the ditch

Three days after the installation of the geotextiles the first heavyrain occurred. In the short time between installation and heavy rainthe soil located between the turns of meandrically arranged ropesas well as the soil covered with the segments installed on the banksof deep drainage ditch had no time to consolidate. During the raine

due to the large amounts of water flowing down the surface of theditch bankse only initially consolidated soil was partially removed.After removal of the soil the certain portion of the meandricallyarranged ropes was uncovered (Fig. 9a). Nevertheless, the essentialpart of the soil was kept between the turns of the geotextiles. Themeandrically arranged ropes created a network of micro-damswhich slowed down the flow of water and reduced the transportof the soil along the slope. Consequently, no erosive channels on thesurface of the banks of the ditch were formed and no sliding of theslope was observed.

In one sitee after the heavy raine deep erosive channels on thesides of the concrete open drain were created (Fig. 9b). The chan-nels were formed by a concentrated stream of water that runsbeside the concrete drain. Formation of this channels resulted fromthe mounting mistake made at the installation of the concretedrain.

ch; b/ erosive channels on the bank of the ditch.


Fig. 4. The damage of the fresh levelled slope; a/ erosive channels; b/ sliding.

Fig. 5. The roadside ditch; a/ during the construction of the road; b/ the ditch reinforced with concrete panels filled with rain water.

Fig. 6. Installation of the geotextiles on the slope; a/ spreading of segments on the surface of the slope; b/ fixing of segments with “U-shaped” pins.


In the following days the soil, which was removed during therain was completed. Simultaneously, the installation mistake waseliminated and the erosive channels next to the concrete drainwere filled up. In following weeks the condition of the banks wasregularly monitored. In late spring during the next few heavy rainsno damage of the banks was observed.

Few weeks after installation, on the banks protected withsegments made from the nonwoven with addition of grass seeds,parallel strips of growing grass became visible. The incorporationof seeds into ropes prevented the washout of seeds by the waterflowing on the surface of the slopes. Moreover, by absorbing therainfall water the ropes ensured good conditions for seedsgermination and later grass vegetation even during dry summermonths. The strips of grass grown on the ropes were clearlyvisible even in late autumn, six months after the installation


(Fig. 10a). The site observation after six months confirmed goodcondition of the ditch banks. The banks exhibited even surfacewith no erosive channels and no sliding of the soil was observed(Fig. 10b).

The neighbouring turns of meandrically arranged ropesinstalled in the roadside ditch form a system of transversalmicrodams, which slow down streams of water flowing in theditch (Fig. 11a). During heavy rain, when the ditch is filled withlarge amounts of water, on each rope fixed in the bed a smallcascade is formed (Fig. 11b). Thanks to numerous cascades thestream of water e that flows down rapidly in the concrete bedabove the section with the installed ropes e is successively sloweddown. In the section with installed ropes the speed of the streamconsiderably decreases and its erosive action is significantlyreduced.


Fig. 7. The scheme of installation of the geotextiles on the slope; a/ side view; b/ arrangement of “U-shaped” pins.

Fig. 8. Installation of the geotextiles in roadside ditch; a/ the overall view of the ditch; b/ connection of concrete panels reinforcement with geotextiles.

Fig. 9. The bank of the ditch with installed geotextiles after heavy rain; a/ ropes uncovered by flowing water; b/ erosive channels on both sides of the concrete drain.


The segments of ropes retain water flowing along the ditch(Fig. 12a). During light rain the water stops in the space betweenthe neighbouring turns of meanders. At low water permeability ofthe clay as well as minimal infiltration into the soil the water re-mains on the surface and later, during dry days, it slowly evapo-rates. In addition to water retained between the turns of meanders,some water is absorbed inside the ropes. Both materials used for


the production of the ropes exhibit excellent absorption capacity. Asimple test revealed that the ropes produced from woollennonwoven can absorb 270% of water. The absorption capacity of theropes made from nonwoven from recycled fibres is even higher andamounts to 295%. The water absorbed in the ropes is slowlyreleased. In the free state and in dry conditions wet ropes return tothe weight of dry product in approximately one month. With high


Fig. 10. The bank of the ditch six months after the installation; a/ strips of grass; b/ the even surface of the bank.

Fig. 11. The roadside ditch with installed ropes; a/ transversal microdams; b/ cascades formed in the flowing stream.

Fig. 12. The roadside ditch during exploitation; a/ retention of water in the ditch; b/ vegetation growth.


absorbing capacity the ropes installed in the ditch serve as a storagesystem. The water absorbed by the ropes is slowly released and canserve as an irrigation system for plants during dry season.

Slowdown of the stream and retention of water has a greatsignificance especially during first weeks of exploitation, before thegrowth of the protective vegetation.

In the lateral zones of segments the ropes d which were bentand fixed on the ditch banks d reinforce the banks and protectthem against the landslide. Thanks to the ropes, even during heavyrains the flowing water does not scour away the bank soil and theforces exerted by flowingwater do not exceed the resisting forces ofthe bank. Moreover, the ropes promote the growth of protectivevegetation on the ditch banks, what additionally strengthens the


cohesion of the bank soil and decreases the speed of the streamflowing in the ditch (Fig. 12b). In addition to positive influence onstream speed and reinforcement of the ditch banks, the vegetationovergrown on the ditch banks facilitates the retention of water. Theeffect is especially valuable in comparison to the section reinforcedwith concrete panels, where almost no vegetation is observed.

5.3. Geotextiles behaviour during exploitation

The geotextiles installed on the bank of the deep drainage ditchas well as in the roadside ditch fulfil their role well. During sixmonths of exploitation, after several heavy rains that occurred infirst weeks after installation followed by a longer dry season, the


Fig. 13. The geotextiles installed on the slope after six months of exploitation; a/ exposure of the strap of buried meanders; b/ connecting polypropylene chain and fixing pin.


geotextiles maintained they potential to protect the ditches.Continuous monitoring revealed that meanders were properlyanchorede bymeans of steel pinse on the bank of the ditch as wellas in the bed of the roadside ditch (Fig. 13a).

The geotextiles were produced from slowly degradable or non-degradable materials. The chains connecting the successive turns ofthe meanders were produced from polypropylene, a polymer withvery high chemical and biological resistance. During exploitationthe polypropylene chains buried in the soil keep their propertiesand together with steel pins hold the meanders in right position(Fig. 13b).

As for the segments produced from wool, after six months ofexploitation no visible signs of damage were observed (Fig. 14a).Similarly, for the segments from recycled fibres with high contentof non-degradable synthetic fibres there were no visible signs ofdamage (Fig. 14b).

To check the condition of the materials used for the productionof the geotextiles after six months from the installation samples ofthe ropes from the bank of the deep drainage ditch as well as thebed of the shallow roadside ditch were taken. The samples weredried, cleaned and measured in laboratory conditions. The deter-mined values of basic mechanical parameters: tenacity and elon-gation at break are presented in Table 2.

After six months of exploitation a significant change of woolnonwoven parameters is observed. For the ropes taken from thebank of the drainage ditch the decrease of the nonwoven tenacityequals ca. 25% along the fabric and ca. 60% across. In the case of theropes installed in the bed of the roadside ditch the reduction of thenonwoven tenacity is higher than 50% along and ca. 60% across thefabric. The reduction of the nonwoven tenacity is connected withthe significant decrease of the elongation at break.

The values of static and dynamic puncture resistance are shownin Table 3. The static puncture resistance test simulates the pressureexerted by big stones onto the geotextiles laying on the slope. The

Fig. 14. The rope samples after six months from installation; a/ the w


measure of the static resistance is themean of the force pushing theplunger through the specimen. After the exploitation of the ropes inthe ditches the decrease of the static puncture resistance isobserved. For the ropes taken from the bank of the deep ditch andthe bed of the roadside ditch the reduction in the static punctureresistance equals even 75% and 88%, respectively.

The dynamic perforation test simulates dropping of sharpstones onto the geotextiles surface. The measure of the dynamicresistance is the mean diameter of the holes formed by steel conesdropped from a fixed height. For the materials used for the pro-duction of the ropes exploited in the ditches the increase of the holediameter connected with the weakening of the material isobserved. For the ropes taken from the bank of the deep ditch andthe bed of the roadside ditch the reduction in the dynamic punctureresistance equals 19% and 44%, respectively.

It is obvious that the exploitation in the soil in wet environmentfavours the development of microorganisms, which utilize wool asa nutrient source. Microorganisms, bacteria and fungi secrete en-zymes which cause the cleavage of disulphide and peptide bonds ofwool keratin and systematically degrade the fibres structure. As aresult, weakening of the material and gradual deterioration of itsmechanical parameters is observed.

The greater deterioration of the nonwoven parameters wasobserved for the ropes taken from the bed of the ditch. During rainsthese ropes were exposed to the direct contact with flowing water.Moreover, for these ropes the water stayed between the meanderturns for a longer time. In such conditions the ropes absorbed largerquantities of water and remained wet longer. The higher humidityof the ropes and longer time of contact with water favour thegrowth of microorganisms and cause quicker wool degradation.

For nonwoven produced from the blend of various recycled fi-bres the change of the mechanical parameters after six monthsexploitation is much smaller. Taking into account the measurementerror, no change of the nonwoven tenacity in longitudinal direction

oollen rope; b/ the rope from recycled fibres covered with grass.


Table 2Basic mechanical parameters of nonwovens used for the production of the ropes.

Material Tenacity [kN/m] Elongation at break[%]

Before After Before After

Wool Along 0.67 ± 0.1 0.48 ± 0.02a 40.4 ± 3 28.0 ± 2a

0.32 ± 0.1b 23.0 ± 2b

Across 0.13 ± 0.02 0.05 ± 0.01a 58.0 ± 4 36.0 ± 3a

0.04 ± 0.01b 35.0 ± 3b

Recycled fibres Along 3.3 ± 0.2 3.2 ± 0.1a 35.0 ± 2 28.5 ± 2a

3.0 ± 0.1b 30.0 ± 3b

Across 0.63 ± 0.1 0.78 ± 0.1a 51.0 ± 6 72.0 ± 3a

0.96 ± 0.1b 83.0 ± 4b

a The ropes taken from the ditch banks.b The ropes taken from the bed of roadside ditch.

Table 3Puncture resistance of nonwovens used for the production of the ropes.

Material Static puncture resistance[kN]

Dynamic punctureresistance [mm]

Before After Before After

Wool 0.16 ± 0.02 0.04 ± 0.02a 32.0 ± 2 38.0 ± 2a

0.02 ± 0,02b 46.0 ± 3b

Recycled fibres 0.53 ± 0.1 0.45 ± 0.1a 29.0 ± 3 34.0 ± 3a

0.34 ± 0.1b 38.0 ± 3b

a The ropes taken from the ditch banks.b The ropes taken from the bed of roadside ditch.


is observed. In the direction across the nonwoven the tenacity in-creases by 24% for the ropes taken from the bank and by 50% for theropes taken from the roadside ditch. The increase of the tenacity isconnected with the increase of the nonwoven elongation. The staticpuncture resistance for the nonwoven taken from the bank of theditch decreases only by 15%. For the ropes taken from the bed thereduction is higher and equals 36%. For the ropes taken from thebank of the deep ditch and the bed of roadside ditch the change inthe dynamic puncture resistance equals 17% and 31%, respectively.

The changes of the mechanical parameters of nonwoven madefrom recycled fibres result from its composition and the growth ofgrass which germinates and grows on the surface of the ropes. Thenonwovenwas produced from the blend of fibres with high contentof synthetic fibres and stitched by polyester threat, both resistant tobiological degradation. Thanks to high biological resistance of thethread the tenacity of the nonwoven in longitudinal direction doesnot change. The thread does not ensure the tenacity in the trans-verse direction across the nonwoven. The increase of the tenacityand the elongation in this direction has to be connected with thedevelopment of grass root system, with roots penetrating thenonwoven and strengthening its structure.

The decrease of the puncture resistance of the nonwoven iscaused by the biodegradation of cellulosic and other degradablecomponents in the blend of the recycled fibres. Similarly as for woolnonwoven, due to the higher moisture content, the greater changesare observed for the ropes taken from the bed of the ditch.

6. Conclusions

The geotextiles produced from the meandrically arrangedKemafil ropes can be prepared from different materials easilyaccessible on the local market. The ropes manufactured from textilewaste materials exhibit properties required for the production ofgeotextiles designed for erosion control and protection of drainageditches in clay ground. The ropes can be meandrically arranged intosegments with various dimensions, according to local requirements.


The segments of geotextiles are easy to transport and their instal-lation does not involve a lot of manpower or specialized equipment.Geotextiles installed on the slope ensure immediate and effectiveprotection of the ditches. Meandrically arranged ropes form a sys-tem of micro-dams which slow down the stream of water flowingdown on the surface of the ditch bank as well as the stream flowingalong the ditch. The geotextiles eliminate the formation of erosivechannels on the ditch banks and protect the banks against sliding. Byabsorbing water geotextiles ensure retention of water flowing alongthe ditch. Due to enhanced soil and water holding capacity geo-textiles protect grass seeds from being washed out and facilitate thedevelopment of protective vegetation. Materials used to produce theropes reveal sufficient resistance to biological degradation. Slowbiodegradation enables keeping the protective potential of geo-textiles at least for one vegetation season.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding by ERANET-CORNET consortium under international research project PROGEO“Sustainable erosion protection by geotextiles made of renewableresources including innovative manufacturing and installationtechnology”. DZP/CORNET-16/628/2014.

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Geotextiles and Geomembranes - STFI and Geomembranes xxx (2016) 1e9 Please cite this article in press as: Broda, J., et al., Application of innovative meandrically arranged geotextiles