When used for reinforcement purposes, geotextiles, geogrids and composites are placed below or between soil layers to take up tensile forces and thereby improve mechanical properties. They are preferably used in supporting structures based on the principle of "reinforced soil" or for stabilizing earth banks on types of soil with a poor load-bearing capacity. In many cases this makes expensive constructive measures, a soil exchange or the installation of an additional soil layer,unnecessary.
Mostly geogrids and wovens are used as reinforcing elements. Reinforcing elements, where the reinforcing elements are made of yarns of slit films (e. g. wovens), are more susceptible to installation damage than reinforcing elements made of polymer ribs with rigid crossing points. Furthermore, stretched geogrids have lower initial elongations than wovens, for example, and hence generate an immediate force transfer without construction elongation.
Reinforcement
Interessenverband Geokunststoffe
= translated according to ivg definitions