Geomembranes, coated and non-coated structures need to be protected against mechanical damage. Without protection layers, damage would occur from sharp-edged irregularities of the underground or the filling material. Nonwovens and composites are used as protection against mechanical damage. Composites include nonwovens reinforced with wovens, double-sided wovens and composite nonwovens with mineral fillings. The effectiveness of protection depends on the thickness of the geosynthetics and their mass per unit area as well as their resistance to perforations by impact or compression. Nonwovens and composites are used in a variety of applications including landfills and tunnels for the protection of geomembranes. Such protection elements have also been installed successfully in pipe construction.
Thick mechanically bonded nonwovens have proven to be very good protection layers. Secutex® PP nonwovens with a mass per unit area of > 800 g/m2 e. g. are used as a sole protection layer for geomembranes. However, in fields of application where lower loads occur, mechanically bonded nonwovens with a mass per unit area of higher or equal 300 g/m2 are used.
Protection
Interessenverband Geokunststoffe
= translated according to ivg definitions
