Some aspects of the durability of geotextiles to weathering factors – Laboratorial simulation

Abstract

Geotextiles applied in environmental structures can suffer changes on their short and long-term strength. Therefore, the evaluation of the resistance of these materials against some physical and/or chemical agents is extremely important because their application requires that they perform specific functions for a long period of time. The exposition of geotextiles to weathering conditions can affect their durability and consequently their mechanical behaviour along time. A laboratorial-scale simulation of the damage that may occur on the geotextiles over months or years at natural ageing is important in predicting the useful lifetime of these materials. This paper aims at evaluating the effect of the exposition to weathering conditions on the durability of three geotextiles chemically stabilized with different amounts of the additive Chimassorb 944. The simulation of the effect of the weathering conditions (UV rays, rain and dew) in the geotextiles was performed in a weathering tester – the QUV. The effect of this exposition on the short-term mechanical behaviour of the geotextiles was evaluated by tensile tests. Microscopic changes on the material fibbers were characterised by using scanning electron microscopy.