Aging of rolled erosion control products for channel erosion control

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aging effects of environmental factors on rolled erosion control products (RECPs). Seven RECPs made of natural, synthetic or composite materials were evaluated. Used (installed in channels of a field laboratory for 3 years) and unused (stored in a limited climate-controlled laboratory for 3 years) samples of each product were tested to determine 10 physical properties, including mass per unit area, thickness, tensile strength, stiffness, light penetration, resilience, water absorption, swell, specific gravity and smolder resistance. The results indicate that all materials exhibited a significant loss of tensile strength after 3 years of use. Used materials of the natural type showed a 68% strength loss whereas the composite and synthetic types had smaller strength losses in the range of 37–61%. Other property testing results showed less conclusive or inconsistent trends, which implies that tensile strength is a critical and reliable property for use to evaluate the aging effects on RECPs.