ISSN: 1945-7545
CODEN: GTJODJ
Published Online: 2 December 2008
Page Count: 5

A Simple Method for Estimating Poisson’s Ratio of Geosynthetics at Zero Strain

Shukla, Sanjay Kumar
Adjunct Associate ProfessorPermanently Reader, Discipline of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, James Cook UniversityGeotechnical Engineering Division, Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, TownsvilleVaranasi, Queensland

Sivakugan, Nagaratnam
Associate Professor and Head, Discipline of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland

Mahto, Sitaram
Former Postgraduate Student, Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi,

(Received 8 July 2008; accepted 3 November 2008)

Abstract

A theoretical expression for the Poisson’s ratio of geosynthetics as a function of axial normal strain may be very useful, particularly during the initial design stage of some geosynthetic-related projects. This technical note examines the suitability of such an expression suggested by Giroud 2004 (Geotext. Geomembr., Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 297–305) in detail, and suggests a simple approach to estimate the appropriate values of the Poisson’s ratio of the geosynthetics at zero strain (ν₀), which are required for use of this expression. A chart is presented for this purpose, which can be used by knowing the experimental value of the Poisson’s ratio of a geosynthetic at any one nonzero strain. The suggested procedure and proposed chart can equally be applied for estimating ν₀ of other similar materials. Based on the limited experimental results presented in this note, the Giroud’s expression is recommended for use with ν₀=0.57 for the high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes and ν₀=1.75 for the nonwoven geotextiles, assuming that these values will not differ significantly for other similar geosynthetics, because ν₀ is dependent only on the nature of material.

Keywords:
axial strain, geomembrane, geosynthetic, geotextile, lateral strain, Poisson’s ratio

Paper ID: GTJ102013
DOI: 10.1520/GTJ102013
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