Load-deformation behaviour of virgin and damaged non-woven geotextiles under confinement

This paper examines the influence of confinement on the mechanical behaviour of virgin and mechanically damaged nonwoven geotextiles. In-soil tensile tests were performed on different types of geotextiles and confining materials under normal stresses between 25 kPa and 150 kPa. Three types of sands and geotextiles were used in the tests. The influence of different types and dimensions of damages were also investigated under in isolation and in-soil conditions. The effects of confinement and the presence of the damages were quantified. It was observed that confinement reduces the detrimental effects of the damages.