Selection of geo-synthetic filter materials as drain envelopes in clay and silty loam soils to prevent siltation: A case study from Turkey

Abstract

Geo-synthetic envelope materials are used in subsurface drain pipes to prevent the entry of soil particles into drains commonly installed to reclaim waterlogged salt affected lands. In-spite of its expensive cost, generally in the world, gravel and sand are traditional envelope materials to prevent the siltation in drain pipes. For this purpose, tube permeameter laboratory research was conducted for comparing geotextile with gravel and sand under the extraordinary hydraulic gradient regarding clogging and preventing siltation in the laboratory condition. Three type of geotextiles (woven and non-woven) and sand-gravel were tested on two type of soil (clay and silty loam). All geotextiles were better than sand-gravel envelopes for preventing the siltation and their clogging level did not create any risk for hydraulic conductivity. Key words: Envelopes, siltation, geotextile, sediment, hydraulic permeability, synthetic fabrics.