This presentation discusses the application of natural fibers in geotextiles. Natural fibers from plants like jute, flax, and coconut are spun into yarns and fabricated into fabrics. These natural fiber geotextiles provide benefits like soil erosion control, drainage, and reinforcement. They have high moisture absorption and drapability. Testing shows natural fiber geotextiles can effectively separate layers, filter, drain, and reinforce soil for applications in road construction, riverbank protection, and embankments. In conclusion, natural fiber geotextiles perform comparably to mid-range synthetic geotextiles while being more environmentally friendly due to using renewable and biodegradable resources.

1. A PRESENTATION ON APPLICATION
OF NATURAL FIBRE IN GEOTEXTILES
PRESENTED BY
SATYARANJAN BAIRAGI
DEPARTMENT OF JUTE AND FIBRE TECHNOLOGY
(INSTITUTE OF JUTE TECHNOLOGY)
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA

2. Natural fibres are extracted from plants and are then converted
into yarns by spinning. These fabrics are sometimes treated with
rot resistant materials or reinforced with synthetic fibres to
enhance their durability under different soil conditions without
affecting its strength and other properties. Fabrics from natural
fibres such as jute, flax, coconut , coir etc. are used to improve
soil erosion control and drainage applications.
INTRODUCTION

3. • What is Geotextile ?
The ASAE (Society for Engineering in Agricultural, Food, and
Biological Systems) defines a geotextile as a "fabric or
synthetic material placed between the soil and a pipe, gabion,
or retaining wall: to enhance water movement and retard soil
movement, and as a blanket to add reinforcement and
separation." A geotextile should consist of a stable network
that retains its relative structure during handling, placement,
and long-term service. Other terms that are used by the
industry for similar materials and applications are geotextile
cloth, agricultural fabric, and geosynthetic.
• What are Geosynthetics ?
American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) defines geo-
synthetics as a planner product manufactured from polymeric
material used with soil, rock earth or other geo-technical
engineering related material as an integral part of a man-made
project, structure or system.

4. GENERAL ATTRIBUTES OF MATERIALS
 High moisture absorbing capacity
 Excellent drapability (the best of all GTs)
 High initial tensile strength
 Low extension at break
 High roughness co-efficient
 High spinnability
 Bio-degradable; soil nourisher
 Renewable resource, easily available
 Economical
 Eco-friendly

5. TESTING PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS
REFERENCE :
• Jute Manufacturers Development Council

6. FUNCTIONS OF FIBRES IN GEOTEXTILES
 SEPARATION
 FILTRATION
 DRAINGE
 REINFORCEMENT
 CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATION
1. ROAD CONSTRUCTIONS
2.PROTECTION OF RIVER BANKS
3.EMBANKMENTS
4.PREVENTION OF RAILWAY TRACK
5.CONSOLIDATION OF SOFT SOIL

7. SEPARATION
 Segregates two layers, preventing intermixing
 Facilitator to natural consolidation of soil

8. FILTRATION
 Two contrasting functions –
 soil retention
 allowing pore-water through and along the fabric
 Provides a permanent mechanical and
hydraulic filter stability

9. DRAINAGE
 Acts as a drain within its own thickness.
 Permittivity and Transmittivity of JGT are high

10. REINFORCEMENT
 Acts against rotational slides, lateral dispersion and vertical subsidence
 Exerts confining action on soil
 Partially absorbs effective stress,
preventing shear failure.

11. CONCLUSION
These natural fibre geotextiles are found to have superior
properties in comparison to the mid-range of synthetic geotextiles
for soil reinforcement, separation, filtration, drainage and civil
engineering etc. When considering strength and frictional
resistance. The high degree of frictional resistance of the
vegetable fibre geotextiles is probably developed from both the
coarseness of the natural fibre yarns. These vegetable fibre
geotextiles will be much more environment-friendly than their
synthetic counterparts and the fibre themselves are a renewable
resource that is biodegradable

12. THANK YOU