Soft Soil Stabilization

Soft Soil Stabilization

The utilization of woven geotextile is an excellent option for resolving the problem of stabilizing soft or weak soils, where traditionally one would have to replacethe soil with select compacted aggregate, such as in swampy soils or soils with weak penetration values.

By installing a woven geotextile, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the aggregate layers which would have to be placed an compacted, thus adding to the cost benefit ratio of the project and in addition, adding to the useful life of the structure by protecting it from the migration of fine particles on a long term basis.

The woven geotextile performs two principal functions in this application:
1.    It provides a separation layer between the natural subsoil and the subsequent aggregate layers, so that these will not mix and loose their design properties, thus assuring an effective thickness of the aggregate material.
2.    It provides additional reinforcement to the soil due to the increase in tensional strength from the frictional interaction between the geotextile with a high tensional strength and the soil.

The type of geotextile to be selected will depend on the tensile strength required to provide reinforcement to the soil, as well as the geotextile’s ability to withstand construction damage.