High strength polyester/polypropylene geogrids: manufacturing techniques and application evaluations

Abstract

This study proposes synthesizing high strength polyester (HSPET) fibers and polypropylene (PP) fibers to form HSPET/PP-fasciated yarns, which are tested for tensile strength after they are exposed to UV radiations. The yarns are then made into geogrids, after which the geogrids are tested by administering the single or multi-rib tensile method, and are then evaluated for mass per unit area and installation damage. The test results show that the tensile strength and elongation of the fascinated yarns decrease as a result of their exposure to UV. The geogrids that are composed of fascinated yarns are unable to evenly distribute a force. The installation damage of HSPET/PP geogrids is greater than that of traditional geogrids, as are the cases of other applications. As a result, HSPET/PP geogrids can be reformed to improve their inferior performances.

Key word:

• Polyester (PET)
• polypropylene (PP)
• fasciated yarns
• geogrids

Acknowledgments

The authors would especially like to thank Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan, R.O.C. for financially supporting this research under Contract MOST 104-2622-E-035-010-CC2.