SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1993
STP24312S

Unconfined and Confined Wide Width Tension Testing of Geosynthetics

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The thrust of this paper stems from the classical confined wide width testing work of McGown, Andrawes and their co-workers in 1981 and 1982 on geotextiles and extends it into the following geosynthetics which are currently used in various waste containment applications: • Woven and nonwoven geotextiles • Geomembranes • Geosynthetic clay liners • Geonets

Confining (normal) pressures up to 138 kPa are utilized to note the effects and, in particular, the variation from the standard unconfined behavior. A range of commercially available materials is used in each of the above categories. The test device used is based on the design principles set by McGown, Andrawes and their co-workers with some modifications being made to simplify the testing technique. The test results substantiate the successful performance of the apparatus. With the exception of nonwoven geotextiles and in particular needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles, the influence of normal stress is shown to be insignificant. This is considered to be the major finding in this study.Confinement does, however, enhance greatly the load-extension modulus of needle-punched geotextiles while it has little effect on their tensile strength.

Author Information

Wilson-Fahmy, RF
Geosynthetic Research Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Koerner, RM
Geosynthetic Research Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Fleck, JA
Geosynthetic Research Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
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Details
Developed by Committee: D35
Pages: 49–63
DOI: 10.1520/STP24312S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-5242-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-1885-0