Geocomposites are Geosynthetics which are manufactured from a combination of two or more different geosynthetic product types.
Examples include; geotextile – geonet / geotextile-geogrid / geonet-geomembrane / cuspated drainage core- geotextile. GCL’s also fall within this group.
Prefabricated geocomposite drains and wicks or prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVD’s) are formed by wrapping a geotextile around a plastic drainage core.
The advantages of Geocomposites is that they provide additional functionality and performance benefits to the system by combining the best aspects of two or more different products into the one prefabricated component.
GEOGRID GEOCOMPOSITES
Biaxial Geogrids are manufactured from polypropylene (PP) sheets using the extrusion method of punching a pattern of apertures, followed by stretching under controlled temperature in both directions in order to reach the material’s tensile characteristics.
The geogrid geocomposites are produced by heat bonding the geogrids with any type of nonwoven geotextiles.
Biaxial geogrids are used to decrease the fill material thickness while increasing the
bearing capacity of the underlying soil, whereas geocomposite geogrids provide additional separation from underlying soils thus reducing construction time and cost.
The apertures of the biaxial geogrids (small or large) aid in aggregate interlock thus allowing for effective reinforcement and soil confinement. Geogrids can also be used to construct mattresses to be placed on soft soils.
They are easy to install, offering further construction cost savings due to reduced labour time.
Extruded biaxial geogrids manufactured from polypropylene (PP) sheets with various tensile strengths from 15kN/m to 45kN/m and in both small and large aperture sizes.
DRAINAGE GEONETS & GEOCOMPOSITES
Drainage Geonets are used for landfill leachate collection, foundation wall drainage, methane gas collection, pavement and roadway drainage, subsurface drainage and in erosion control applications.
Drainage geocomposites with nonwoven geotextiles are used when it is required to increase the surface friction behaviour and/or prevent soil/silt particles from clogging the liquid or gas flow.
TDN _B is the typical bi-planar geonet that consists of two strands of extruded 100% polyethylene sheets intersecting at different spacing and angles. TDN_T is the tri-planar geonet that consists of three strands of extruded 100% polyethylene sheets intersecting at different spacing and angles that provided channelized flow.
Drainage geocomposites (TDC) are composed of either bi-planar (TDC_B) or tri-planar (TDC_T) geonets combined with a layer of nonwoven geotextile either on one or two faces or with a nonwoven geotextile on one side and a waterproofing film on the other side.