Ground Engineering

Geosynthetics in Ground Engineering: Innovative Solutions for Geogrids, Geotextiles, and Drainage Nets

Geosynthetics play a key role in modern foundation engineering, providing cost-effective, sustainable solutions for enhancing soil stability, increasing bearing capacity, and controlling groundwater. Geogrids, geotextiles, and drainage nets are widely used in projects ranging from highway construction to industrial facilities. These materials address challenges such as soft soil settlement, differential deformation, and water seepage, while reducing construction time and costs.

Function: By interlocking with aggregate particles, they distribute loads and enhance soil strength.

Applications:

Highway Embankments: Geogrids can be used to reinforce soft soil subgrades. For example, in the Southeast Asia project , geogrids reduced settlement by 31% and lowered material costs by 18%.

Retaining Walls: Geogrid-reinforced soil structures (GRS) offer high stiffness and uniform stress distribution, making them ideal for bridge abutments.

Advantages:

High tensile strength and creep resistance.

Can reduce fill thickness by 25%, thereby reducing project costs.

Function: Prevents soil mixing while allowing water to flow, which is critical for soft soil foundations.

Applications:

Railway subgrade:  geotextiles combined with a gravel layer prevent mud outflow and extend track life.

Landfill liner: Non-woven geotextiles act as a protective layer beneath the geomembrane and offer puncture resistance.

Advantages:

High permeability  and puncture resistance.

Extended service life by preventing fine soil from migrating into the aggregate layer.

Function: Quickly drain water from the foundation to prevent saturation.

Applications:

Tunnel foundations: Composite drainage meshes (e.g., three-dimensional drainage mats) replace traditional crushed stone layers, reducing construction depth by 40%.

Urban roads: In soft soil areas of Guiyang, drainage meshes lowered the groundwater level and prevented road cracking.

Advantages:

High compressive strength  and drainage capacity equivalent to a 1-meter-thick crushed stone layer.

Combined with geotextiles, they provide both filtration and drainage.

For challenging sites (e.g., high groundwater levels or liquefiable soils), a layered system can maximize performance:

Geogrid + geotextile + drainage mesh: A coal silo at a coal washing plant replaced pile foundations with a 500 mm geocell-gravel composite layer, saving 30% in costs.

Geosynthetics such as geogrids, geotextiles, and drainage meshes have revolutionized foundation engineering by combining structural reinforcement with hydrological management. They are adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions, from soft clay to desert sand, and are an indispensable material for modern infrastructure.