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Geosynthetics are often installed in contact with soil. For reinforced soil applications usually geosynthetics are installed between layers of compacted coarse material. The construction and installation processes are very likely to induce mechanical damage, which in turn can affect the performance of geosynthetics.

Most design codes allow for the damage associated with installation by using a partial reduction factor for the ultimate tensile strength. Although ideally such reduction factors should be determined from field trials, often that is not possible. Alternative approaches include: using published guidance documents and specifications (often not applicable to reinforcements), field trials, interpolations using data for similar conditions.

Several geosynthetics were exhumed after field installation and characterized to assess how the installation damage affected some of their properties. Additionally mechanical damage usually associated with installation damage was induced in laboratory. The short- and long-term tensile response of the geosynthetics were studied, as well as the soil-geosynthetic interface response after damage. The corresponding reduction factors for installation damage were estimated and compared.

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Tea & Coffee from 5.30pm

Meeting starts from 6.00pm

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