PSZ 19:16 (Pind.

1/97)

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS

JUDUL:

APPLICATION OF GEOTEXTILE IN _______________

_____________________________________________________
SLOPE REHABILITATION ____________________
________________________________________________

SESI PENGAJIAN : _____2005/2006

______________

YIT LIANG _________________________

________________________TAN
__________________

Saya

(HURUF BESAR)
mengaku membenarkan tesis (PSM/Sarjana/Doktor Falsafah)* ini disimpan di Perpustakaan
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Perpustakaan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dibenarkan membuat salinan untuk tujuan
pengajian sahaja.
Perpustakaan dibenarkan membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara
institusi pengajian tinggi.
* * Sila tandakan (9)

SULIT

TERHAD

(Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau

kepentingan Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam
AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972)
(Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan
oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan)

TIDAK TERHAD
Disahkan oleh

________________________________
(TANDATANGAN PENULIS)

________________________________
(TANDATANGAN PENYELIA)

Alamat tetap:
SS26/21,TAMAN MAYANG JAYA __
_69,
_________________________________
PETALING JAYA, _____________
_47301
______________________

DR RAMLI NAZIR ____

______PROF
_________________________

DARUL EHSAN. ________

_SELANGOR
___________________________

Nama Penyelia

Tarikh:

21 APRIL 2006

Tarikh :

21 APRIL 2006

CATATAN:

* Potong yang tidak berkenaan.

* * Jika tesis ini SULIT atau TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak
berkuasa/organisasi berkenaan dengan menyatakan sekali sebab dan
tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai SULIT atau TERHAD.
Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi Ijazah Doktor Falsafah dan Sarjana
secara penyelidikan, atau disertasi bagi pengajian secara kerja kursus dan
penyelidikan, atau Laporan Projek Sarjana Muda (PSM).

I hereby declare that I have read this thesis and in my opinion this thesis is
sufficient in terms of scope and quality for the award of the degree of civil
engineering.

Signature

Name of Supervisor :

PROF DR RAMLI NAZIR

Date

21 APRIL 2006

APPLICATION OF GEOTEXTILE IN SLOPE REHABILITATION

TAN YIT LIANG

This Thesis is submitted as a partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of
the Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering

Faculty of Civil Engineering

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

APRIL, 2006

ii

I declare that this thesis entitled Application of Geotextile in Slope Rehabilitation

is the result of my own research. The thesis has not been accepted for any degree
and is not concurrently submitted in candidature of any other degree.

Signature

..

Name

TAN YIT LIANG

Date

21 APRIL 2006

iii

TO MY BELOVED FAMILY MEMBERS

IV

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, the author would like to take this golden opportunity to
thank Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ramli Nazir for his time, advice, continuous support and
guidance throughout the research period. He has shown great faith in me and has
been very supportive throughout the research. Without his direct supervision and
patience, the research would probably come to a halt.

Besides, token of appreciation will also be given to the authors parents and
family members for their everlasting emotional support, love and patience towards
the accomplishment of the study. This work could not have been completed without
their unconditional support.

The author would also extend his warmest appreciation to the devoted
professionals at Polyfelt Asia Sdn. Bhd and Road Builder (M) Sdn. Bhd. Thank you
for the knowledge and hospitality during my visit to both the company respectively.
It was a great learning experience for me.

ABSTRAK

Geotekstil memainkan peranan yang amat penting dalam kejuruteraan awam

terutamanya dalam bidang geoteknik. Objektif utama kajian ini dijalankan adalah
untuk membicara dan memahami penggunaan geotekstil sebagai langkah untuk
memantapkan cerun yang gagal. Geotekstil (Polyfelt TS 80) digunakan sebagai
tetulang penguat tanah untuk memantapkan cerun yang gagal berhampiran dengan
bengkel automobil, Fakulti Kejuruteraan Mekanikal, UTM. Faktor keselamatan
untuk cerun yang gagal ditentukan menggunakan dua kaedah analisis, iaitu
rekabentuk secara manual dan rekabentuk dengan bantuan perisisan komputer
(PLAXIS). Diharapkan agar kajian ini dijadikan asas untuk perkembangan geotekstil,
untuk memastikan geotekstil diterima pakai oleh komuniti geoteknik dan
perkembangan bidang geoteknik selanjutnya.

VI

ABSTRACT

The influence of geotextile technology is being increasingly felt in various

civil engineering areas and it plays a major role in geotechnical engineering. The
purpose of this research is to discuss and understand the application of geotextile in
slope rehabilitation. A study was conducted to determine factor of safety (FS) and
the effectiveness of geotextile (Polyfelt TS 80) as reinforcement to rehabilitate failed
slope at Automobile Workshop, Mechanical Faculty, UTM, Skudai. To further
analyze the stability of the slope, two design approaches was adopted, manual design
and software design (PLAXIS) to determine the FS of the slope. It is hope that this
research will be used as a basis for future development of geotextile, to ensure
complete acceptance of geotextile by the geotechnical community, and consequently,
continuous growth of geotechnical engineering.

vii

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER

II

TITLE

PAGE

TITLE

DECLARATION

ii

DEDICATION

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

iv

ABSTRAK

ABSTRACT

vi

TABLE OF CONTENT

vii

LIST OF TABLE

LIST OF FIGURE

xi

LIST OF SYMBOL

xii

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Introduction

1.2

Problems Statement

1.3

Aim and Objective of Research

1.4

Scope of Research

1.5

Significance of Research

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1

Introduction

2.2

History of Geotextile

2.3

Classification of Slope

2.4

Comparisons between Biodegradable and Non-

10

biodegradable Geotextile

viii
2.5

Basic Concept and Function of Geotextile

11

2.6

How Geotextile Protect Slope

14

2.7

Factors Attributing Towards Selection of

14

Geotextile
2.8

2.9

III

Long Term Resistance of Geotextile

16

2.8.1 UV Resistance

16

2.8.2 Chemical Resistance

17

2.8.3 Biological Resistance

18

General Installation Guidelines of Geotextile

18

METHODOLOGY

21

3.1

Phase 1: Literature Review

21

3.2

Phase 2: Gathering Data and Information for Case

21

Study

IV

3.3

Phase 3: Analysis of Data and Expected Findings

22

3.4

Phase 4: Conclusion and Recommendation

22

CASE STUDY

23

4.1

Introduction

23

4.2

Factors Attributing Towards Failure of Slope

24

4.3

Methods to Rehabilitate Slope

25

4.4

Installation of Geotextile

25

4.5

Primary Function of Geotextile in Slope

26

Rehabilitation

ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

29

5.1

Introduction

29

5.1.1 Design by Cost and Availability

29

5.1.2 Design by Specification

30

5.1.3 Design by Function

30

5.2

Analysis Manual Design

31

5.3

Analysis Finite Element Analysis Using

34

(PLAXIS) Software

ix
5.4

VI

Results

35

5.4.1 Manual Design

35

5.4.2 Finite Element Analysis (PLAXIS)

38

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

41

6.1

Introduction

41

6.2

Discussion

41

6.3

Conclusion

42

6.4

Recommendation

43

REFERENCE

44

LIST OF TABLE

No. Table
2.1

Title

Page

Classification of Risks of Landslide on Hill-Site

Development (after IEM,2000)

5.1

Location of Center of Critical Toe Circles for ( <53o)

37

xi

LIST OF FIGURES

No. Figure

Title

Page

2.1

Geometries of Slope (after IEM 2000)

2.2

Possible Construction Methods for Slopes (Inclination

45o to 70o)

19

2.3

Fixed Formwork for Low Structures

20

2.4

Possible Construction Methods for High Walls and

20

Steep Slopes
4.1

Technical Data for Polyfelt TS Geotextiles

28

5.1

Details of Circular Arc Slope Stability Analysis for (c,

) Shear Strength Soils.

32

5.2

Details of Circular Arc Slope Stability Analysis for Soil

33

Strength represented by Undrained Conditions

5.3

Details of Circular Arc Slope Stability Analysis

35

5.4

Details of Anchorage Zone Soil

36

5.5

Location of center of critical toe circles for ( <53o)

37

5.6

Details of Deformed Mesh of Slope

38

5.7

Details of Total Displacement of Slope

38

5.8

Details of Calculation Information

39

5.9

Details of Deformed Mesh of Slope

39

5.10

Details of Total Displacement of Slope

40

5.11

Details of Calculation Information

40

xii

LIST OF SYMBOL

HT

Total Height of Slope

HL

Localised Height

Global Angle of Slope

Localised Angle of Slope

Flow Rate

Kp

Coeeficient Permeability of Geotextile in its Plane

Hg

Thickness of Geotextile

Hydraulic Head Loss

Length of Cross Section of Geotextile Perpendicular to Flow

Length of Cross Section of Geotextile Parralel to Flow

FS

Factor of Safety

Ni

wi cos

wi

Weight of Slice

Angle of Intersection of Horizontal to Tangent at Center of

Slice
R

Radius of the Failure Circle;

Total and Effective Angles of Shearing Resistance

Total and Effective Cohesion

Ti

Allowable geotextile Tensile Strength

yi

Moment Arm for Geotextile

Number of Slices;

Number of Geotextile Layers;

Weight of the Failure Zone

Moment Arm to Center of Gravity of Failure Zone.

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Geotextile are fibrous materials made of elements such as individuals fibres,

filaments, yarns, tapes, etc. that are long, small in cross section and strong in tension.
It must be sufficiently durable to last a reasonable length of time in the hostile
environment. Use of geotextile in civil engineering structures are rapidly expanding
in terms of volume, types of products and range of applications. The largest area of
application of these materials in Civil Engineering is Geotechnical Engineering.

Today, we are witnessing a discipline (geotextile application) which was not

taken seriously ten years ago. It has indeed transformed geotechnical engineering to
the extent that it is no longer possible to do geotechnical engineering without
geotextile. All geotechnical engineers have heard of geotextile and have used or
expect to use them. The mind concept and attitude of geotechnical engineers has
changed as geotextile has progressively pervaded all branches of geotechnical
engineering. This may be one of the most important revolutions to date in the history
of geotechnical engineering.

2
1.2 Problem Statement

Due to the rapid growth of the industry, hills and forests are being torn apart
to cater for the needs of the industry, for instance construction of railways, highways,
infrastructures, etc. Besides, the construction of residential buildings on hill site has
increased tremendously for the last 15 years due to the depleting flat land and other
influencing factors such as fresh air, beautiful scenery, exclusiveness etc.

Therefore, the safety of buildings on hill site is often a topic of discussions

among government officers in local authorities, engineers and public. The discussion
intensifies each time a landslide is being broadcast or highlighted by the media. For
example, the collapse of Block 1 of Highland Towers in 1993, landslides at Bukit
Antarabangsa in 1999, landslide at Automobile Workshop, Mechanical Faculty of
UTM in 18th January 2001 and the tragic landslide at Taman Hillview in November
2002 have worried the public especially those who are staying in hill site or planning
to purchase a unit on one.

The truth is hill site development is safe with proper planning, design,
construction and maintenance. Engineers whom have good engineering expertise on
soil or rock in slopes and foundation stability design are usually engaged in
construction projects. The main priority is to safeguard the safety of the public from
landslide hazards.

Landslide is caused by erosion and failure of slope. Moderate to severe

erosion has taken place on the hill slope, mainly due to the removal of the existing
vegetation with no subsequent protection of the exposed surface. Detachment of soil
particles by rain splash or by the surface flow are mechanisms of water erosion
which can also leads to erosion.

On the other hand, gravitational forces are always acting on the mass of soil
or rock beneath a slope. If the strength of the mass is less than gravitational forces,
the forces are imbalance and not in equilibrium mode. Movement of mass will occur
which leads to landslide. Slope failures can range from being a temporary nuisance

3
by partially closing a roadway, to destroying structures, to being catastrophic and
even burying cities.

1.3

Aim and Objective of Research

The aim and objective of this research is:

a.) To review the development of geotextile from then till now.
b.) To determine the classification of slopes for hill site development.
c.) To understand the function and characteristics of geotextile.
d.) To understand the application of geotextile in slope rehabilitation.
e.) To compare between biodegradable and non-biodegradable geotextile.
f.) To determine the factors attributing towards the selection of geotextile in
slope rehabilitation.
g.) To understand the long term resistance of geotextile.
h.) To understand the general installation guidelines for geotextile.
i.) To determine factor of safety for slopes based on a case study by adopting
geotextile as soil reinforcement.

1.4

Scope of Research

The scope of research is to analyze the application of geotextile in slope

rehabilitation. The geotextile will function as soil reinforcement to stabilize the slope.
A case study is carried out on failure or collapsed of slope, which is located near

4
Automobile Workshop, Mechanical Faculty, UTM Skudai. The analysis is based on
research and reports obtained, either directly nor indirectly from relevant party and
authority. In general, the effectiveness of geotextile as a means of soil reinforcement
in slope rehabilitation will be reviewed.

1.5

Significance of Research

Many methods of construction have been adopted to rehabilitate slopes in

Malaysia. This research plays an important role in determining the suitable materials
to be used for slope rehabilitation. It is hope that with this research, more information
can be obtained on the effectiveness of geotextile in preventing slope failure. The
outcome of research can convinced geotechnical engineers, by giving confidence and
encouragement, to use geotextile in civil engineering structures.

CHAPTER II

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

Geotextile are fibrous materials, which made of elements such as individual

fibres, filaments, yarns, tapes, etc. that are long, small in cross section and strong in
tension. One of important characteristics of geotextile is flexibility. Flexibility is
useful both for good contact conditions and for avoiding stress concentration in the
fibres. Besides, hydraulic functions of geotextile due to its fibrous nature allows
geotextile to have a high void ratio (high permeability) and at a same time, a small
filtration diameter.

The tensile strength of the geotextile is also important. From scientific research,
it appears that to obtain the highest tensile resistance from a material, the best way is
to use it in the form of fibres, which have a high degree of molecular orientation.

Therefore, basically the concept of geotextile is strongly related to fibres. The

importance of the fibre concept is the strong reason for using the word geotextile,
because the word textile implies the concept of fibre.

6
2.2 History of Geotextile

Development of the geotextile revolution will be discussed in this chapter. Forms

of geotextile have existed for almost thousands of years. The first application of soil
reinforcement or ground improvement techniques was adopted by Babylonians to
construct Ziggurats more than three thousand years ago. One famous Ziggurat,
Tower of Babel, collapsed perhaps because it was not reinforced. The Tower of
Babel was constructed by foreign labourers. According to the writer of the Bible, it
was all too easy to blame the failure on them since they could not defend themselves
because of language barrier. Probably, the writer may have vested interest in finding
a scapegoat since that monk writer and the consulting engineer were one and the
same trade. (as some modern consulting engineers would agree.)

The Chinese have used wood, bamboo and straw to strengthen soil for thousands
of years. The importance of soil reinforcement in ancient China is demonstrated by
the fact that the Chinese symbol for Civil Engineering simply means earth and
wood. At that time, portions of the Great Wall of China was constructed using the
soil reinforcement concept. The concept of soil reinforcement method was brought to
Japan and the use of natural materials for stabilization purposes continued to this
decade.

The Romans used reed, wood and animal hides for soil reinforcement during the
Middle Ages. The Dutch, below of the low land and in their age old battle with the
sea, made extensive use of willow fascines to reinforce dikes and to protect
themselves against wave action. Construction of dams to shorten the coastline was
carried out and this action is still on going till this century, culminating with Delta
Project.

In 1926, the South Carolina Department of Highways used special types of

vehicles to lay down the rolls of cotton fabrics in the construction of roads. It was
only during last two decades that these materials made of synthetic polymers have
been increasingly adopted ranging widely from construction of roads over poor
subsoil to reinforcement of slope for stabilization.

7
2.3 Classification of Slopes

Hill site development is often related to landslide, and safety of building at

the hill site is often a topic of discussion among government officers in local
authorities, engineers and public. This matter has become increasingly serious. With
the recent awareness of risks involved in hill site development, a more proper and
systematic control and precaution is taking shape through the private and public
sectors.

According to the Institute Engineering of Malaysia (IEM), slope for hill site
development can be classified into 3 classes and the necessary requirements and
characteristics are as follows:

a.) Class 1 (Low Risk)

Application of existing Legislation Procedures can still go on.
b.) Class 2 (Medium risk)
It is mandatory for professional engineer to submit geotechnical report to
the relevant local authority. The professional engineer must posses
relevant expertise and experience in analysis, design and supervision of
construction of slopes, retaining structures and foundation on hill site.
c.) Class 3 (High Risk)
Besides submission of geotechnical report, the developer shall engage an
Accredited Checker (AC) in the consulting team. With reference to the
original proposal by the workforce, AC shall have at least 10 years
working experience at hill site and have published at least five technical
papers on geotechnical works in local or international conferences,
seminars or journals.

The general risk of classification is actually based on the geometry of the

slopes, for instance the height and angle. There are other factors that contribute to the
stability of slopes, for instance geological features, engineering properties of
soil/rock, groundwater level, etc. However, for the simplicity of implementation by

8
non-technical personnel in our local authorities, simple geometry has been selected
as the basis of risk classification.

Figure 2.1 Geometries of Slope (after IEM, 2000)

9
Table 2.1 Classification of Risk of Landslide on Hill-Site
Development (after IEM, 2000)

10
2.4 Comparisons between Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable Geotextile

For the past few years, geotextile has played a major and significant role in
geo-environmental engineering applications. Woven and non-woven geotextile are
widely used in applications such as soil stabilization, turf reinforcement, erosion
control, separation, filtration and drainage.

Geotextile can be classified into two types, biodegradable and nonbiodegradable geotextile. Biodegradable geotextile are made of natural fibres, for
example penduculata fibre, or Raffia Vinifera, was obtained by drying raffia palm
fronds in the sun and then beating the raffia fronds with a piece of wood to create the
fibre. Non-biodegradable geotextile are made of synthetic materials, for example
polyesters and polypropylene.

Because of the advances in technology, non-biodegradable geotextile are

preferred compared to biodegradable geotextile. The use of naturally occurring fibre
products for similar applications has not received significant consideration despite
their potential. Only limited amount of scientific literature research has been
published with regard to the use of biodegradable geotextile as a practical solution to
geo-environmental engineering problems.

Experiment was conducted to compare the effectiveness of biodegradable

(penduculata) and non-biodegradable (polypropylene) geotextile in geoenvironmental engineering problems. The experiment consists of a rainfall
simulation apparatus, used on slopes (protected or unprotected) that were inclined at
different angles to the horizontal.

From the experiment, penduculata geotextile shows high water absorbency

characteristics which can influence the initial run-off velocity values at the beginning
of a rainfall event. On the other hand, the polypropylene geotextile shows zero water
absorbency characteristic. Because of this, lower run-off velocities were measured
for natural fibre geotextile which is likely due to the higher water absorbency values.

11
However, in terms of better slope protection, the polypropylene geotextile
was more effective (lower cover factor values) compared to penduculata geotextile
although the run-off velocity measured for polyprolene geotextile at slope was high.
The performance difference may be attributed to differences in Percentage Open
Area (POA) values between polyprolene and penduculata geotextile.

Despite of this, natural fibre geotextile has potential and has a role in
geotechnical engineering. The potential use was shown in the Manchester, United
Kingdom, airport rail link construction project (Ellis 1993) where a naturally
occurring biodegradable erosion and soil stabilization mat was successfully installed.

2.5 Basic Concept and Function of Geotextile

A geotextile can perform several functions. The need for identifying and
describing geotextile functions appeared when geotextile began to be used in a
variety of applications. Before design can take its place, it is very important to
identify the functions required of the geotextile in the considered application. A
geotextile function is a specialized action of the geotextile which is required to
achieve a design purpose and results from a unique combination of geotextile
properties.

Generally, geotextiles has six main functions:-

a) The Drainage Function or Fluid Transmission. The geotextile is placed in

contact with a material of low permeability through which water is seeping
slowly, its fuction is to gather water and conveys it, within its own plane towards
an outlet. In order to function as a drain, a geotextile must exhibit transmissivity.
The flow of water into the plane of a geotextile is governed by Darcys formula:

Q
h
= kp Hg
L
L'

12
where Q = rate of flow (m3/s)
L = length of the cross section of geotextile perpendicular to the flow
direction (m)
kp = coefficient of permeability of the geotextile in its plane (m/s)
Hg = thickness of the geotextile (m)
h = hydraulic head loss (m)
L = length of geotextile parallel to the flow direction (m)
b.) Filtration. A geotextile acts as a filter when it allows liquid to pass normal to its
own plane, while preventing most soil particles from being carried away by the
liquid current. There are three cases to be considered: filter for particles
suspended in a liquid, filter for removing water from a granular soil and filter
associated with armor.

Filter for particles suspended in a liquid: the geotextile is placed across a flow of
liquid carrying fines particles in suspension; the function of the geotextile is to
stop the fine particles while allowing water to go through it.
Filter for removing water from granular soil: the geotextile is placed between the
soil, from which water is removed (by drainage or pumping), and the open
material (aggregate, perforated pipe, porous plastic mat) the function of which is
to collect and convey the water; the function of the geotextile is to prevent
movement of soil particles while allowing the water to go thorugh it.
Filter associated with armor: the geotextile is placed between the soil which has
to be protected from the wave action and the coarse material which constitutes
the armor; the function of the geotextile is to minimize movement and loss of soil
particles while allowing the water to go through it.

The difference between the case of water removal and the case of armor is related
to the flow: in the case of water removal, the flow of water is in one direction and

13
partially steady; in the case of armor exposed to waves, the direction of flow
alternates and the flow is unsteady and dynamic.

c.) Separation. A geotextile is placed between two materials which have a tendency
to mix when they are squeezed together under the applied loads; the function of
the geotextile is to separate these materials. A separator must retain the soil
particles and must have sufficient strength to withstand the stresses induced by
the applied loads. Consequently, designing a geotextile separator involves
retention analysis and strength analysis.

d.) Protection. A geotextile protects a material when it alleviates or distributes

stresses and strains transmitted to the protected material. There are two cases to
be considered: surface protection and interface protection.

Surface Protection: A geotextile, placed on the soil prevents its surface from
being damaged by such actions as weather, light traffic, etc.
Interface Protection: A geotextile, placed between two materials, prevents one of
the materials from being damaged by concentrated stresses applied by the other
materials.

e.) Tension Membrane. A geotextile function as a tensioned membrane when it is

placed between two materials having different pressures, and its tension balances
the pressure difference between the two materials, thus strengthening the
structure.

f.) Tensile member. A geotextile acts as a tensile member when it provides tensile
modulus and strength to a soil with which it is interacting through interface shear
strength, for instance the interlocking, friction, cohesion and adhesion.

14
2.6 Geotextile As Slope Protection

Landslides in the residual soils or weathered rocks in Malaysia are generally rain
induced. These slopes when dry or partially saturated, they are normally stable at
inclinations exceeding the effective angle of internal friction, of the soil. When the
soil is partially saturated, the negative pore water pressures impart to the soil as an
effective stress which is higher than the corresponding total stress. The shear strength
of the soil is thereby increased, enabling the slopes to remain in stable condition even
though when the inclination exceeds the effective friction angle, of the soil. After
heavy rainfall, the soil will become saturated because of the infiltration of the
rainwater into the ground. The original negative pore water pressure existed in the
soil are therefore eliminated or drastically reduced, causing a large reduction in the
effective stress and the shear strength. The slope will become unstable and eventually
fail.

Geotextile has been used successfully in numerous occasions to stabilized steep

slope in residual soil and weathered rock. Geotextile was used as tensile
reinforcement and filter to stabilized slopes or embankments. The geotextile are
usually placed in horizontal layers within the slope. It is placed along the slope
cutting across potential sliding surfaces in the soil. The geotextile will reduce the
pore water pressure within the slopes during the rainy season, thereby increased the
shear strength. The geotextile also acts as a filter which prevents the migration of soil
or sometimes called the internal erosion within the slope. Last but not least, the
geotextile reinforces the soil along potential sliding zones or planes. All these will
increase the stability of the slope.

2.7 Factors Attributing Towards Selection of Geotextile

There are many factors attributing towards the selection of geotextile in

geotechnical engineering. The first fundamental reason is that there is need for
membrane-like materials because geotechnical structures are built with granular

15
materials; the integrity of layers of granular soils can be disrupted by erosion,
settlements and earthquakes while a geotextile layer remains continuous.

Besides, geotextile are bi-dimensional and flexible materials and is well-suited to

geotechnical structures subjected to different movements. Geotextile are also useful,
either as interface between layers or as a liner or a protection at the surface of the
mass geotechnical structures.

In addition to the factors mentioned above, geotextile have been successful

because manufacturers have aggressively developed and marketed them and because
contractors, designers and owners have elected to use them. Reasons attributing to
the selection of geotextile application in geotechnical engineering by contractors,
designers and owners are discussed below:

a) Contractors: Contractors have adopted geotextile very rapidly because it brings

instant benefits to them. For example, easier installation of geotextile compared
to granular fill will reduced construction time. Using geotextile in road
construction is recommended because geotextile are less weather dependent and
truck are less likely to get bogged down when a geotextile is used. Geotextile
can reduce the amount of earthwork as geotextile drains and filters are less bulky
than their granular counterparts. The cost of earthwork is reduced if geotextile
reinforcement permits the usage of lower quality fill materials, which are less
expensive. Besides earthwork, transportation costs can be reduced by replacing
granular fills with geotextile. It will do the environment better than harm since
the noise and dust associated with transportation of construction materials are
reduced.
b) Designers: With the emphasis now placed on value engineering, designers are
required to produce less expensive design to remain competitive. Designer find
that geotextile may increased the reliability of a structure because the quality
control of their placement is relatively easy, their installation is not weather
dependant, their properties are more uniform than soil particles and they mitigate
soil defects by bridging weak spots and separate layers which tends to mix.
Geotextile open new possibilities for innovative design instead of using the

16
same, old and dull design. Especially in coastal protection application, geotextile
present solutions to problems which designers have long been struggling, for
instance, sand filters wash away and difficult to construct under water while
geotextile are secure and easy to place.
c) Owners: Owners also plays a major role to the success of geotextile because they
dare to use them in the early days. Motivations of owners are a combination of
contractors and designers motivations. Owners and contractors are most
interested in low cost and designers are interested in stability, reliability and
sometimes experimentation. For owners, by adopting geotextile, maintenance
work can be reduced which in turn save cost.

2.8 Long Term Resistance of Geotextile

Geotextile have been widely used in geotechnical engineering for several

decades. Along with polymers such as polyester (PET) or polyethylene (PE),
polypropylene (PP) is the polymer most commonly used for these applications.
When engineers began to use these materials, the first investigations on the long term
performance for instance, UV resistance, chemical resistance, biological resistance
and etc under practical environmental conditions started.

2.8.1 UV Resistance

Any polymer used for the manufacture of geotextile will degrade when
exposed to the ultraviolet radiation of natural sunlight overtime. Therefore, it is
essential to consider resistance of geotextile to the effects of sunlight when designing
geotextile. Particular care is necessary when geotextile is to be installed in regions of
the world whereby the UV radiation levels are high or when geotextile will remained
exposed over period of weeks or even months on large scale projects.

17
It is wiser to protect the geotextile from degradation. This can be done by
using stabilizers, in order to match the aging process with the long term requirements
of the application. High quality geotextile comes equipped with high performance
stabilizers, therefore the required life time of the geotextile is guaranteed.

However, prediction based on laboratory testing is not possible to determine

the degradation of geotextile caused by UV sunlight due to the large number of
parameters influencing the product life time. For instance:-

a) The degradation process within the polymer of the geotextile takes place
extremely slow under ambient temperatures.
b) There is no proven correlation between laboratory tests and practical application,
as these products have only been in use for 30 years. However, a design lifetime
of 120 years is required.
c) Products installed 30 years ago cannot be compared to todays product, as
structure and chemical composition have changed because of constant ongoing
product development.
d) The chemical reaction of oxidative process is very well known, but in practical
applications other stress factors, such as installation damage, chemical attack and
many others, may be superimposed on it.

2.8.2 Chemical Resistance

Polypropylene is characterized by an excellent resistance to chemicals. It is

proven in the course of CE certification programme as a number of investigations
were carried out in accordance to ISO 14030. For polypropylene geotextile, no
strength loss was observed, even in acidic or alkaline conditions, in contrast to
polyester products.

18
The fiber surface of polyester yarns is particularly susceptible to degradation
when exposed to alkaline condition (pH >10), external hydrolysis will take place.
But even when it is exposed to acidic condition, the material is gradually degraded
by internal hydrolysis. In this case, the polymer chains are split by the presence of
water, thereby reducing the molecular weight. Last but not least, it will lead to a
drastic reduction of mechanical properties. Therefore, it is essential to protect
polyesters material by providing extra coating.

2.8.3 Biological Resistance

Investigations according to EN ISO 12225 have shown that polypropylene

geotextile are 100% resistant to micro-organisms. At the moment, no organisms are
known to be harmful to polypropylene. It is important to know the biological
resistance of the material in long term applications, as the influence of the organisms
cannot be estimated.

2.9 General Installation Guidelines of Geotextile

It is very important to adopt the right approach for geotextile installation to

prevent geotextile from further damage. It requires pre-tensioning of the geotextile
layers before covering them with fill material. After that, compaction of fill materials
needs to be carried out appropriately, especially near the slope and the facing.
Compaction increases the shear strength of the material and thus the stability of the
structure with respect to settlement and possible failures in shear. It also contributes
to the pre-tensioning of the reinforcement, as a precondition of good mechanical
interlock between soil and the geotextile. It is also essential to use special
construction arrangements to ensure that the geometry of the slopes is as specified by
the working drawings and to protect visible parts of the geotextile layers on slopes,
by any appropriate means, for instance concrete or wooden facing systems.

19
For the construction of slopes (inclination 45o to 70o), we can use either
sacrificial formwork or removable rigid formwork. Types of sacrificial formwork are
sand or gravel filled gabions, concrete elements and welded wire mesh folded to the
desired angle. The advantages for using concrete elements are the placement of
geotextile is relatively simple and no parts of geotextile (reinforced sheeting) can be
visible. The negative aspects are it requires accurate leveling for each layer of
geotextile laid and it is not compatible with large deformations. On the other hand,
for welded wire mesh, the benefits are solely due to easy of placement (light weight),
unnecessary to protect the visible parts of the reinforcing sheets, its facing is very
flexible and a planar slope can be produced.

In removable rigid formwork, the formwork consists of panels assembled into

a chair. The horizontal part rests on the end of the layer just placed. The chair is held
in position during the placement of the layer by a suitable system. The investment for
using removable rigid formwork is relatively low. The disadvantages for adopting
this approach are protection of the exposed parts of the reinforcing sheets should be
provided and it is difficult to control the geometry of each layer, due to the
deformability of the underlaying layer.

Figure 2.2 Possible Construction Methods for Slopes (Inclination 45o to 70o)

20
For the construction of slopes (inclination 70o to 90o), for low structures (<
2m), a fixed formwork may be utilized. The advantages are the ease of construction
and the exact geometry of the slope can be obtained. The disadvantages are the high
costs and are space constraint as large space is required for the base of the formwork.
For high structures, the method described for low structures is no longer appropriate,
because the amplitude of the thrusts on the formwork requires strong and expensive
systems of props.

Figure 2.3 Fixed Formwork for Low

Structures

Figure 2.4 Possible Construction Methods

for High Walls and Steep Slopes

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

In short, the methodology adopted to carry out the research paper can be
summarized accordingly into the following phases:

3.1

Phase 1:

Literature Review

In the literature review phase, all information regarding the application of

geotextile in slope rehabilitation is collected. The development of geotextile is
reviewed from then till now. The study of geotextile is carried out to understand its
basic concept and characteristics, how it protects slopes, its long term resistance and
general guidelines of geotextile installation. Besides, factors attributing towards the
selection of geoextile is also determined. Technical notes on comparisons between
biodegradable and non-biodegradable geotextiles were gathered to determine its
suitability as in the construction works.

3.2

Phase 2:

Gathering Data and Information for Case Study

Collection of data and information for the case study is from various sources,
for instance Pejabat Pengarah Kerja UTM, Jurutera Perunding OMK and PROPEL

22
(Pro Penyelenggaraan Lebuhraya Berhad). Discussion held with these parties has
certainly further my understanding the application of geotextile in slope
rehabilitation purposes. Among the important information and parameters needed for
this case study is:

a) Location
b) The cause of slope failure
c) Geotextile installation method at site
d) Soil profile at site

3.3

Phase 3:

Analysis of Data and Expected Finding

In this phase, every set of data obtained was analyzed to achieve objective of
research, applicability of geotextile in slope rehabilitation. In addition to this, design
aspect for slope rehabilitation using geotextile will also be overlooked. Two design
approaches were adopted to determine FS, with or without geotextile reinforcement,
that is finite element analysis using PLAXIS software and to design manually using
limit equilibrium concepts.

3.4

Phase 4:

Conclusion and Recommendation

This is last phase of research, whereby conclusion is made based on the

analysis carried out. Besides, a few recommendation of research is given to improve
and improvise future research.

CHAPTER IV

CASE STUDY

4.1

Introduction

A case study has been carried out on the slope located near the Automobile
Workshop, Mechanical Faculty, UTM Skudai. The instability of slope has caused the
slope to collapse in the wee hours on 18th January 2001. It has indeed worried the
public especially the UTM authorities as the failure of slope may endanger the
structures or buildings around the slope, which may lead to unnecessary injuries or
death of innocent people.

The landslide which caused by the failure of slope has partially covered the
vehicles parking lot located downstream of the slope. The severity of the landslide is
proven by the fact that the impact of the landslide has completely destroyed the drain
located nearby the vehicles parking lot.

This location will be an idealistic location for research work to be carried out
because the rehabilitation of the slope is by means using the application of geotextile
as reinforcement to stabilize the slope which has failed.

24
4.2

Factors Attributing Towards Failure of Slope

Factors attributing towards the failure or collapsed of slope is due to rainfall.

The rainfall records shows, heavy rainfall (rainfall with high intensity) has been
pouring continuously for as long as 48 hours without stopping, in other words,
consecutively for two days, that is on the 16th and 17th January 2001.

The heavy downpour has caused the flow rate downstream of the river at the
foot of the slope to increase. Thus, it leads to an overflow at the discharge point of
river (inlet of culvert). The culvert cannot cater for increasing volume of water that
has been rising ever since for the past 48 hours.

The overflow water flowed back into the soil at the foot of the slope. The
basic problem in such case is usually insufficient shear strength of the soil with
respect to the slope angle and the height of the embankment. This often suggests low
relative density in granular soils and high water content in cohesive soils. Both of
these situations (density and water content) could be positively influenced by some
type of insitu stabilization systems.

Landslides in the residual soils or weathered rocks in Malaysia are generally

rain induced. These slopes when dry or partially saturated, they are normally stable at
inclinations exceeding the effective angle of internal friction, of the soil. When the
soil is partially saturated, the negative pore water pressures impart to the soil as an
effective stress which is higher than the corresponding total stress. The shear strength
of the soil is thereby increased, enabling the slopes to remain in stable condition even
though when the inclination exceeds the effective friction angle, of the soil. After
heavy rainfall, the soil will become saturated because of the infiltration of the
rainwater into the ground. The original negative pore water pressure existed in the
soil are therefore eliminated or drastically reduced, causing a large reduction in the
effective stress and the shear strength. The slope will become unstable and eventually
fail.

25
4.3

Methods to Rehabilitate Slope

To rehabilitate the slope, proper site investigation has to be carried out. First
and foremost, it is very important to determine the hard strata approximately1.5m
beneath the base of the slope. The base should have adequate bearing capacity to
sustain the mass of the soil. Mackintosh probe is adopted to determine the bearing
capacity 1.5m beneath the slope.

When the bearing capacity is adequate, the collapsed slope will be rebuilt
layer by layer using geotextile as reinforcement. Reinforcement is needed as there is
not much room for the construction of the slope. Thus, the slope constructed tends to
be steeper than usual. Application of geotextile as reinforcement to rehabilitate the
slope will be the idealistic approach. The slope will be protected with gabion wall
with geotextile anchoring against it to increase global stability and resists the
potential of sliding to occur.

4.4

Installation of Geotextile

For the reconstruction of the collapsed slope, the following rehabilitation

procedures need to be taken accordingly:

a) Site clearing work need to be carried out. The site needs to be free of trees
and vegetation which would obstruct the reconstruction of the collapsed slope.
The site needs to be as flat as possible.
b) Piling of mangrove tree (Rhizophora) needs to be planted 0.5m centre to
centre around the collapsed slope to increase and improve its bearing capacity.
c) Subsoil is inserted into the area within the piling area. Horizontal drain (with
geotextile wrapping around it) is constructed around the area to drain out
water into the main drainage system.

26
d) Gabion wall with the dimension of 1000mm x 1000mm is prepared and
installed onto the slope. The gabion wall will be installed 450mm above the
pile. The gabion wall will be installed at a level from 19m to 23m.
e) Bamboo is installed at the level of 17.5m. Next, the area is backfilled with
1.5m of sand.
f) Geotextile is then laid on top of the sand layer at approximately level of 19m.
It requires pre-tensioning of the geotextile layers before covering them with
sand. If a single roll is not large enough, two of them can be sewn together.
Alternatively, adjacent strips can be overlapped or sewn. In this way the
fabrics machine direction is oriented in the maximum stress direction.
g) Soil is then backfilled on top of the geotextile and compacted.
h) Repeat procedure (f) and (g) until the proposed level of the rehabilitated slope.

4.5

Primary Function of Geotextile in Slope Rehabilitation

The development and utilization of geotextile in construction works has been

nothing short of awesome. The field of geotextile has progressed at a pace even
faster than envisioned by most enthusiastic supporters of the use of these materials.

Slope angles can be significantly increased over nonreinforced situation. The

design of slope can be much steeper than usual. Geotextile, being a type of tensile
strength material, can nicely complement soil that is weak in tension. Geotextile is
chosen simply because geotextile will reduce the pore water pressure within the
slopes during the rainy season, thereby increased the shear strength. The geotextile
also acts as a filter which prevents the migration of soil or sometimes called the
internal erosion within the slope. Last but not least, the geotextile reinforces the soil
along potential sliding zones or planes. Besides, the long term performance of
geotextile is encouraging as it is UV, chemical and biological resistance.

27
In this research, Polyfelt TS Geotextile will be used to reinforce the slope.
Polyfelt TS 80 will be adopted in this research to check the adequacy of this material
to be used as reinforcement. Polyfelt TS 80 possess continuous filament, made of
nonwoven needle punched 100% polypropylene and is UV stabilized. It has an
average tensile strength of 28kN/m and is chemically resistance (no influence at pH
range 2-13). It has a nominal mass of 400g/mm2 and thickness of 3.2mm.

28

Figure 4.1 Technical Data for Polyfelt TS Geotextiles

CHAPTER V

ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

5.1

Introduction

The area of geotextile is rapidly growing and exciting field with new uses
being developed almost daily. As such, there are a number of possible applications
and even greater number of geotextile to choose from. Due to the very wide range of
applications and tremendous variety of available geotextile, the selection of a
particular design method or design philosophy is a critical decision.

While many possible methods, or combinations of methods, are available to

the geotextile designer, the ultimate decision for a particular application can take one
of the three directions:

a) Design by Cost and Availability

b) Design by Specification
c) Design by Function.

5.1.1

Design by Cost and Availability

Design by cost and availability simply means take the funds allocated divided
by the area to be covered by the geotextile and calculates a maximum allowable

30
geotextile unit price. The material is then selected within this price limit. This
method sounds technically very weak but is still sometimes being practiced.

5.1.2

Design by Specification

Design by specification is very common and is used almost exclusively when

dealing with public agencies. In this method, several categories of used are listed
together with critical material properties. Two groups that are adopting this approach
and are attempting to formulate a unified approach are the AASHTO and ARBTA.

It must be cautioned that when using a design by specification method, the

specifications often list minimum required material properties, whereas current
manufacturers may list either average lot or minimum roll property values. In
closing, it is hoped that the specification writer and manufacturer should come
together with a common unit.

5.1.3

Design by Function

Design by function consists of assessing the primary function that the

geotextile will be asked to serve and then calculating the required numerical value of
that particular property. By dividing this value into the candidate geotextiles
allowable property value, the resultant will be obtaining a factor of safety (FS).

FS =

Allowable Pr operty
Re quired Pr operty

If the factor of safety is sufficiently greater than 1, this is an acceptable

geotextile. The above process can be done for a number of available geotextile, and
then the choice becomes one of availability and least cost.

31
In this research, this latter method is the one to be discussed. Polyfelt TS 80
will be checked in terms of adequacy of its factor of safety to rehabilitate the slope
using 2-D finite element software (PLAXIS) and to design manually.

5.2

Analysis - Manual Design

The usual geotechnical engineering approach to slope stability problems is to

use limit equilibrium concepts on an assumed circular arc failure plane, thereby
arriving at an equation for the factor of safety. The resulting equations for the total
stresses respectively are given below corresponding to Figure. It is illustrated for the
case of fabric reinforcement.

FS =

( Ni tan + cLi) R + Tiyi

i =1

i =1

(wi sin i) R
i =1

where

FS

the factor of safety (should be greater than 1.3);

Ni

wi cos I;

wi

the weight of slice;

the angle of intersection of horizontal to tangent at

centre of slice;
R

the radius of the failure circle;

the total and effective angles of shearing resistance;

the total and effective cohesion;

Ti

the allowable geotextile tensile strength;

yi

the moment arm for geotextile;

the number of slices;

the number of geotextile layers;

32
These equations are tedious to solve, and when additional considerations is
given to finding the minimum factor of safety by varying the radius and coordinates
of the origin of the cycle, the process becomes unbearable to do by hand. Many
m

computer codes exist that can readily be modified to include

Tiyi contribution of
i =1

the geotextile reinforcement.

Figure 5.1 Details of Circular Arc Slope Stability Analysis for (c,
) Shear Strength Soils.

33
For fine grained cohesive soils whose shear strength can be estimated by
undrained conditions, the problem becomes much simpler. Therefore, slices need not
be taken since the soil strength does not depend on the normal force on the shear
place. The latter method will be adopted in this research. Figure gives details of this
situation, which results in the following equation. The example illustrates its use.

FS =

cR + Tiyi
i =1

WX

where

FS

factor of safety (should be greater than 1.3)

cohesion 0.5qu (where qu = undrained shear strength of soil)

the radius of the failure circle

Ti

the allowable tensile strength of various geotextile layers

yi

the moment arm for geotextile

the weight of the failure zone

the moment arm to center of gravity of failure zone.

Figure 5.2 Details of Circular Arc Slope Stability Analysis for Soil
Strength represented by Undrained Conditions.

34
5.3

Analysis - Finite Element Analysis (PLAXIS Software)

Finite element analysis (FEMs) has been used to study the performance of
geotextile reinforced slopes in both analysis and design situations. Although these
sophisticated computer based methods might not be routinely used for non-critical
situations, they do give insight into the behavior of the system.

To adapt the FEM to the soil fabric interface for the reinforced section, the
displacement of the soil and fabric were assumed to be compatible until the shear
stress reached the limiting shear stress defined by the Mohr-Coulomb failure
criterion. Once this shear stress was attained, slip occurred.

PLAXIS is a finite element package specifically for the analysis of

deformation and stability in geotechnical engineering projects. Geotechnical
applications require advanced constitutive models for the simulations of the
nonlinear and time dependant of the soils. In addition, since soil is a multi phase
materials, special procedures are required to deal with hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic pore pressures in the soil. Although the modeling of the soil is an
important issue, many geotechnical engineering projects involve the modeling of
structures and the interaction between the structure and the soil. Techniques such as
this certainly are the way of the future geotextile related designs of large and/or
critical sections.

35
5.4 Results

Figure 5.3 Details of Circular Arc Slope Stability Analysis

5.4.1

Manual Design

FS =

Re sistingMoments
DrivingMoments

1.) Determine the factor of safety with no geotextile reinforcement.

Adopt: FS =

cR + Tiyi
i =1

WX

Assume that sufficient anchorage behind the slip circle shown is available to
mobilize full geotextile strength and that seams are also adequate to transmit
the stresses.
FS =

(10 15.4136)(10.7)
(395.56)(3.434)

= 0.985

36
2.) Determine the factor of safety with five layers of the high strength
geotextile of allowable tensile strength of 28kN/m placed at 1.5m
intervals from the interface to the top of embankment.
FS =

(10 15.4136)(10.7) + (28)(10.0978 + 8.5978 + 7.0978 + 5.5978 + 4.0978)

(395.56)(4.234)

= 1.578
3.) Determine how much embedment (anchorage) is required behind the slip
circle to mobilized the allowable tensile strength of the geotextile.
Assume that the transfer efficiency of the fabric to the soil is 0.8 and base
the calculation on a FS = 1.5

F = 0

2TELe = T (FS)
2(7) (0.8) Le = 28(1.5)
Le = 3.75m

Use 4m beyond slip circle for anchorage length of each fabric layer.

Figure 5.4 Details of Anchorage Zone Soil

37
4.) Determine the location of the centre of critical toe circles

Figure 5.5 Location of center of critical toe circles for ( <53o)

Table 5.1 Location of center of critical toe circles for ( <53o)

1 (deg) 2 (deg)

(deg)

1.0

45

28

37

1.5

33.68

26

35

2.0

26.57

25

35

3.0

18.43

25

35

5.0

11.32

25

37

38
5.4.2

Finite Element Analysis (PLAXIS Software)

1.) Determine the factor of safety with no geotextile reinforcement.

FS = 1.232

*< 1.3 Fail

*According to Robert M. Koerner (Designing with Geosynthetics), FS

should be greater than 1.3 to be adequate.

Figure 5.6 Details of Deformed Mesh of Slope

Figure 5.7 Details of Total Displacement of Slope

39

Figure 5.8 Details of Calculation Information

2.) Determine the factor of safety with five layers of the high strength
geotextile of allowable tensile strength of 28kN/m placed at 1.5m
intervals from the interface to the top of embankment.

FS = 1.376

>1.3 OK

Figure 5.9 Details of Deformed Mesh of Slope

40

Figure 5.10 Details of Total Displacement of Slope

Figure 5.11 Details of Calculation Information

CHAPTER VI

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

6.1

Introduction

This will be the last chapter of this research. The outcome of the analysis and
results from the chapter 5 will be discussed in this chapter. This would be followed
by conclusion and further recommendation to improve this research in future.

6.2

Discussion

According to Robert M. Koerner (Designing with Geosynthetics), to achieve

the stability of slope, the Factor of Safety (FS) should be greater than 1.3. From the
case study carried out on the slope located near the Automobile Workshop,
Mechanical Faculty, UTM Skudai, the analysis is done using two approach, manual
design and design using PLAXIS software.

It can clearly be seen that before installation of geotextile to rehabilitate the

slope, the FS of the slope calculated using manual design (0.985 < 1.3) and PLAXIS
software (1.232 <1.3) indicate instability of the slope and failure to occur, which
leads to the collapsed of the slope in the wee hours on 18th January 2001.

42
Geotextile (Polyfelt TS 80) was adopted to rehabilitate the slope. After the
installation of geotextile, the FS of the slope calculated using manual design (1.578
>1.3) and PLAXIS software (1.376 > 1.3) indicate stability of the slope.

The result shows that application of geotextile to rehabilitate the slope is

adequate. The FS of the slope after installation of geotextile is greater than FS of the
slope without geotextile. Geotextile, a tensile strength maerial, can complement soil
that is weak in tension. Geotextile increased the shear strength by reducing the pore
water pressures within the slope during rainy season. Geotextile prevents the
migration of soil or sometimes called the internal erosion within the slope. Geotextile
reinforces the soil along potential sliding zones or planes. In spite of this, long term
performance of geotextile is encouraging as it is UV, chemical and biological
resistance.

It can be seen that the values of FS obtained from manual and software
design is different. It is because of the difference in the geotechnical engineering
approach. Manual design utilizes limit equilibrium concepts while the software
utilizes finite element analysis. However, this is not an issue. The significance or
important part of the analysis is to prove that geotextile can rehabilitate slopes. . It is
hope that this research will ensure complete acceptance of geotextile in rehabilitating
or reinforced slopes.

6.3

Conclusion

Geotextile has risen from a relatively minor and specialty product status to a
worldwide, billion dollar industry. According to Robert M Koerner, no other specific
class of items in civil engineering and related construction activities has had such a
dramatic increase in so short time span. The current situation is both exciting (due to
the newness and unknown challenges posed by the products) and dangerous (due to
obvious uncertainties involved).

43
The manufacturers of the geotextile products have been the prime movers in
the industry. These technical entrepreneurs have sensed the need, developed the
products, have aggressively marketed these products, and have done so in the open
and competitive manner.

The future of geotextile seems bright. The industrys continued exposure to

design and contracting professionals and the education of students is clearly at the
heart of this thrust. It is hoped by conducting this research; it will surely play a role
in the development and implementation of geotextile among students. Students will
be enlightened to know the importance of application of geotextile in civil
engineering works.

6.4

Recommendation

To further improve and improvise on this research, I personally recommend: -

a) Adopt other programming software in lieu PLAXIS to analyze the stability

of the slope in terms of factor of safety. Compare the results obtained.
b) Adopt other types of geotextile in lieu Polyfelt TS 80 as reinforcement to
rehabilitate the slope. Check for adequacy of factor of safety.
c) Search for other relevant case study regarding application of geotextile in
slope rehabilitation to make comparison.

REFERENCE

1. Braja M. Das (2000) Fundamental of Geotechnical Engineering Pacific

Grove, Brooks/Cole.
2. R.F. Craiq (1997) Soil Mechanics 6th edition.
3. Gregory P.Tschebotarioff (1973) Foundation, Retaining and Earth
Structures 2nd Edition.
4. J.P.Giroud Designing with Geotextile
5. J.R.Bell Design Criteria for Selected Geotextile Installation
6. Symposium on the Application of Geosynthetic and Geofibre in Southeast
Asia (1989:Petaing Jaya)
7. The Post Vienna Conference on Geotextiles, Singapore (28-30 October 1987)
8. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Geotextiles,
Geomembranes and Related products, Singapore (5-9 September 1994)
9. Proceedings of the Geotextiles Conference held at the Indian Institute of
Technology, Bombay, India (8-9 december 1988)
10. BS 5930:1981
11. BS 8002:1994
12. O.Ogbobe, K.S.Essien and A.Adebayo (1998) A Study of Biodegradable
Geotextiles Used for Erosion Control

45

13. Paul S.H.Poh and Bengt B. Broms Slope Stabilization Using Old Rubber
Tires and Geotextiles
14. Robert M. Koerner Designing With Geosynthetics