Testing of GeosyntheticsGeosynthetics
Prof K RajagopalProf K. RajagopalDepartment of Civil Engineering
IIT Madras, Chennaie-mail: [email protected]
Need for Testing
• Identification of product• Selection of suitable materials as per the • Selection of suitable materials as per the
design specifications or regulations• Quality control – during production stage• Quality control – during production stage• Quality Assurance – during the
construction stageconstruction stage
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Collection of Test Samples• ASTM D4354 “Standard Practice for Sampling of
Geosynthetics for Testing”• ISO 554 “Standard Atmospheres for conditioning • ISO 554 “Standard Atmospheres for conditioning
and/or testing – specifications”• ISO 9862 – “Geotextile – Sampling and Preparation
of Test Specimen”of Test Specimen• IS 14706 – “Geotextile – Sampling and Preparation
of Test Specimen”• During production stage test samples are • During production stage, test samples are
collected at uniform intervals for quality control purposes.
• During the construction also test samples are • During the construction also, test samples are collected at specified intervals
• Number of specimens to be tested is given in respective standardsrespective standards.
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Identification of the test samplesIdentification of the test samples
• Brand/producer/suppliera d/p oduce /supp e• Description of the type (grade, etc.)• Roll numberRoll number• Date of samplingThe sample shall be kept in a dry dark placeThe sample shall be kept in a dry, dark place protected against chemical and physical damage at ambient temperature.Samples should be packed properly during shipping to the testing laboratories.
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Types of Geosynthetic ProductsTypes of Geosynthetic Products
• Geotextiles• Geogrids• Geonets• Geomembranes• Pre-fabricated vertical drains (PVD)• Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL)• Geocells (3-d confinement)
G b /G t b• Geobags/Geotubes• Geocomposites & Geo-others
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Geotextile Propertiesp
Physical Properties Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Hydraulic Properties
Endurance Properties
Degradation Properties Degradation Properties
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Geotextiles – Physical Properties
• Specific GravitySpecific Gravity• Mass per Unit Area • ThicknessThickness• Stiffness
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Specific Gravity ASTM D792 It is the ratio of the substance’s unit volume It is the ratio of the substance s unit volume
weight to that of distilled, de-aired water at 27C temperature.
Determined b P cnometer method or densit Determined by Pycnometer method or density bottle method
Sinkers used for testing materials that float in waterTypical valuesSteel 7.87Soil 2.7Rock 2.4PVC 1.69Polyester 1 22 to 1 38Polyester 1.22 to 1.38Nylon 1.05 to 1.14Poly ethylene 0.90 to 0.96Polypropylene 0.91
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Mass per unit area (ASTM D5261)• Cut five to ten specimens, each of an
area not less than 10,000 mm2. Combined total area of not less than Combined total area of not less than 100,000 mm2
• Dimensions are measured without applying any tension
• Measure the mass of the samples t t 0 01 accurate to 0.01 g
• Mass per unit area = total mass/total area• Report in g/m2 to the nearest 0 1 g/m2• Report in g/m2 to the nearest 0.1 g/m2
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Thickness (ASTM D5199)
• Distance between the upper and lower surfaces of a fabric at a pressure of 2 kPa
• Expressed in mmW t til 0 25 t 1 • Woven geotextiles 0.25 to 1 mm
• Nonwoven geotextiles 1 mm • Nonwoven geotextiles 1 mm to more than 10 mm
• Compressibility is change in Compressibility is change in thickness with pressure
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Stiffness• Stiffness is a measure of the interaction between the geotextile weight and its bending stiffness
• Slide a 25 mm wide strip of geotextile on an inclined plane at an angle of 41.5 and measure the length of h h (L) h h i b d d ithe overhang (L) when the tip bends under its own weight
• Stiffness (L/2)3 × mass per unit area (mg cm)• Stiffness = (L/2)3 × mass per unit area (mg‐cm)Subgrade CBR Stiffness requirements (mg‐cm)
< 0 5 15000 25000< 0.5 15000 – 250001‐2 5000 – 100002 1000> 2 1000
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Mechanical Properties
• Compressibilityp y• Tensile Strength• Seam Strength
F ti St th• Fatigue Strength• Burst Strength• Tear Tests• Tear Tests• Impact Tests• Puncture Tests• Friction Behavior• Pullout Tests
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Compressibility
• Compressibility is the variation of the thickness of geotextile at different normal pressuresgeotextile at different normal pressures
• Thickness of woven geotextiles is nearly constant at all normal press resall normal pressures
• Thick nonwoven (especially needle punched) exhibit marked reduction in thickness at higher pressures
• Permeability properties are dependent on the normal pressures
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Koerner (1986)
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Koerner (1986)
Trapezoidal Tear Tests ASTM D4533Trapezoidal Tear Tests ASTM D4533
• One of the tests to ascertain constructionOne of the tests to ascertain construction survivability
• Initially a small cut is given in the sample and• Initially a small cut is given in the sample and the force required to tear the sample is measuredmeasured
• Force is applied on the sample in such a way h h i i i l i dthat the initial tear is opened up.
• Result is reported in force units.
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200
100
76 15 mm cut
25
grip along these edges
Width of grips 76Rate of test: 300 mm/minuteInitial gap between grips: 25g Initial gap between grips: 25
Trapezoidal Tear Test Sample (all dimensions in mm)
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Trapezoidal Tear Test Sample (all dimensions in mm)
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Wedge type grips used for trapezoidal tear test in progress
Grab Tensile Strength (ASTM D4632) Construction survivability
test Especially for separator
100p y p
applications in pavements 25mm wide Narrow grips
used to perform the test Test result is force in
25
Test result is force in Newtons and rupture strain
Loading at 300 mm per 200
75 mm
Initial clearanceg pminute
Initial clearance
25 mm wide grips
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Photos of Grab tension test
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Tensile Strength Tests on Geotextiles(ASTM D 4595)(ASTM D 4595)
Different Types of Tests Wide width tests 200 mm wide and 100 mm length Narrow strip tests – 50 mm wide strips used for tests S l ll i d i ll i Samples usually gripped in roller grips Load applied at 10-20% strain per minute Result is reported in units of force/unit width and the strain
at peak loadp
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Wide width tensile strength test on geotextiles
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30
15
20
25/m
5
10
15
Forc
e kN
/
Series2
Series3
Series4
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
strain %strain %
Force-strain behaviour of a typical nonwoven geotextile
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Geotextile tubular structures undergo large strains due to deformations and large strains due to deformations and ground movements
Force developed in fabric is very low as they are not filled completely
f
Application of geotextile bags and tubes for shore line protection
Forces depend on the fill ratio
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Application of geotextile bags and tubes for shore line protection
Punching Strength ASTM D4833
• 8 mm diameter probe punched into a stretched geotextilegeotextile
• Container diameter is 45 mm• Peak load developed is reported in Newtons
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CBR Puncture Test• ASTM D6241 using the same device• ASTM D6241 using the same device• Probe is 50 mm diameter
C t i i 150 di t• Container is 150 mm diameter• 10 specimens across roll width
St th d d f ti it d• Strength and deformation monitored• Average value is reported
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Tensile strength from CBR Test data
rF
T pf 2
strength, tensile widthwide
Tf = force in kN/mFp = punching force, kNr = radius of CBR plunger
Strain at failure, f
a
x
100*a
)ax(f
x
x = diagonal distance at failurex = diagonal distance at failurea = horizontal distance between
outer edge of plunger and inner edge of mould
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Stone filled Stone filled rope net gabions
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Punching strength test on rope net gabions
40000
45000
30000
35000
20000
25000
Loa
d N 100 mm opening 2.5 mm
150 mm opening rope 10 mm
150 mm opening 2.5 mm
100mm opening rope 5mm
5000
10000
15000p g p
150mm opening rope 5mm
100mm opening 10mm rope
0
5000
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Strain %Strain %
Load-strain data from punching tests on rope nets
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Dynamic Puncture StrengthDynamic Puncture Strength
• 1 kg pointed cone of standard dimensions is1 kg pointed cone of standard dimensions is dropped from a height of 1 m onto a stretched geotextile specimengeotextile specimen
• Diameter of the hole made by the cone is measured by a graduated conemeasured by a graduated cone
• The larger the hole diameter, larger is the i i d d dconstruction induced damage
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Seam Strength Tests• Normal size of roll width is 3 to 5 m and length 100m.• Larger size areas covered by seaming geotextilesg y g g• Preferably the thread for seaming should be same type as the geotextile – polyester, polypropylene, etc.
• Single stitch, double stitch, J‐seam, Butterfly seam, etc.• Seam strength is important as it may control the designsT il t th t t f d th• Tensile strength tests performed on the seams
• Procedure is same as that for normal tensile strength tests on virgin sampleson virgin samples
• Efficiency = strength of seam/strength of virgin material
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Burst Strength (ASTM D3786)
• Mullen burst strength – stone puncturing into a separation layer
• Inflatable rubber membrane used to distort the geotextile into a hemisphere f 30 di tof 30 mm diameter.
• When geotextile cannot deform any further it will burstfurther, it will burst.
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Fatigue strength
Tensile strength of coir geotextile after repeated loading
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SummarySummary
In this lecture we have studied the testing forIn this lecture, we have studied the testing for two types of the properties of geotextiles.
• Physical properties• Physical properties
• Mechanical properties
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