Geosynthetics in protection against erosion for river and coastal banks and marine and hydraulic construction

Abstract

Geosynthetic products offer owners, engineers, and contractors a safe and economical solution to everyday engineering challenges and construction requirements. Used as replacements to natural materials, geosynthetic products include a wide range of functions such as filtration, drainage, separation and reinforcement requirements. The wide range of geosynthetic use includes landfill caps and base liner applications, environmental protection under roads and railways, containment structures, dams, canals, ponds, rivers and lakes, coastal and offshore protection. However, their potential in other applications is only limited by convention. With the use of geosynthetics, most geotechnical structures can be improved and the design lifetime can be dramatically increased. Additionally new modern design approaches are often only possible with the use of geosynthetics. Because of the strong development of the various industries all around the world the development and challenge of the use of geosynthetics in geotechnical, hydraulic, coastal and offshore engineering should be of special interest. Based on engineering approaches and installed projects, this paper will cover the state-of-the-art of geosynthetics use in environmental applications, as well as in hydraulic, coastal protection and offshore engineering structures and also discuss the benefits of geosynthetics to modern building technology.