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Email: Jim Rozier
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Geotextiles were introduced as a construction material in the mid 1960s. In general, they're used to augment the desirable properties of soils and pavement and isolate or diminish the negative ones. Properly used, they can help stabilize soil, improve drainage and enhance pavement performance.
Geotextiles are valuable tools in the civil engineer's bag of tricks and money saving devices to property owners. For the contractor, a geotextile means a simplified construction procedure with obvious associated benefits.
The geotextile industry has experienced phenomenal growth and with good reason … they work. When used in the asphalt pavement industry these products are known as paving fabrics. There area variety of paving fabrics currently available and each is intended to address a specific condition, within limits. A layer of paving fabric installed between the original pavement and an overlayment can help retard the propagation of cracks from the old pavement up through the overlay, and help redistribute and relieve stresses caused by the old crack pattern.
What is often misunderstood (and occasionally misrepresented) is that these are only cloth fabrics, with no more strength than denim or silk. They cannot compensate for severely distressed pavement of substandard preparation. Sealing of open cracks, structural repair of failed asphalt and cleanliness of the surface is vital to the performance of the fabric.
The fact is that we often include paving fabrics and other geotextiles in pavement or other site improvement designs. However, any claims by designers, contractors and/or manufacturers that geotextiles are cure-alls or that their use will drastically reduce costs should be viewed with suspicion.
Jim Rozier
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