Laboratory performance evaluation of new jute geotextiles for low volume roads under static and cyclic loads

A laboratory-based unpaved pavement model study incorporating different newly developed jute geotextiles meant for low volume roads was performed to investigate the efficacy of these geotextiles in enhancing pavement performance. Three types of jute geotextiles (JGT), namely, (i) grey JGT, (ii) rot-proof treated JGT and (iii) jute-polypropylene blended geotextiles and three types of subgrade soils from different geo-climatic regions of India were used for preparation of the model pavements of different compositions. Models were prepared by selecting several combinations of JGT and subgrade soil based on the biodegradability behaviour of these JGTs in the 100% saturated experimental soils. The geotextile was laid at the interface of a modelled Wet Mix Macadam layer and the subgrade layer of the reinforced models. Model tanks were water-treated for different durations up to six months before testing to study the time-dependent behaviour of the pavement models. Static and cyclic loading tests were conducted on the geotextile embedded models along with some control models. Test results indicate that there is substantial improvement in stress-strain behaviour of the pavement models and cumulative percent strain value with number of loading cycles due to incorporation of any type of the experimental jute geotextiles over control models. In spite of biodegradation of jute, incorporation of a jute geotextile enhanced the performance of the pavement models by at least 10 times under cyclic loads. Subsequently, the experimental JGTs were applied over road-subgrade for an actual road construction, the results of which are awaited.