Use of Geotextiles for the Protection of Geomembranes

To prevent damage of the geomembrane by the gravel, a protective layer must be placed on the geomembrane. As a result of poor protective layers being used between geomembrane and drainage gravel, base sealing systems placed above the geomembrane using graded 16/32 gravel can often lead to damage of the geomembrane itself. The following design alternatives can be adopted: Commercial geotextile protective layers can also be used: The load-distributing effect of conventional aggregate protective layers has already been described. On the other hand, experiments are required to prove the equivalent protective effect of the comparatively-thin geotextile protective layers. In order to estimate the temporary progression of eventual deformations or damage of the geomembrane and the protective layer both efficiently and at a low cost, loads were applied at time-staggered intervals of 10, 100 and 1000 h. Official standards of mineral or mineral/geotextile protective layers have been stipulated and all future material developments will have to be measured.