Water Retention Functions of Four Nonwoven Polypropylene Geotextiles

TLDR

The water retention functions of four nonwoven polypropylene geotextiles were measured, testing each type in new and cleaned conditions. Each geotextile exhibited hysteretic water retention, with new specimens holding more water at comparable suction heads and reaching near saturation at zero suction, while cleaned specimens were less than 20% saturated.

Abstract

The water retention functions of four nonwoven polypropylene geotextiles were measured. Each of the four geotextile types were tested in two conditions: new and cleaned. The water retention functions of each geotextile specimen were found to be hysteretic. The new geotextile specimens always contained more water at comparable suction heads than the cleaned geotextile specimens. At zero suction head, the new specimens approached saturation, whereas the cleaned specimens were less than 20% saturated.