Influence of Strain Rate, Specimen Length and Confinement on Measured Geotextile Properties

In-isolation and in-soil tests were performed on four woven and two nonwoven geotextiles to investigate the effect of strain rate, specimen length, and confinement in soil on the measured strength characteristics. It was determined that woven geotextiles are affected by strain rate but not by confinement. Nonwoven geotextiles were found to be influenced by both confinement and specimen gauge length. It was concluded that different manufacturing techniques influence measured strength properties, and a standardized wide-width strip tensile test, such as ASTM D 4595, may not be an appropriate method for all types of geosynthetic reinforcement products.