Geotextile Application for Road Construction in Indonesia
Background:
Indonesia is a country with a large population and a high demand for transportation infrastructure. However, many of the existing roads are in poor condition and need to be repaired or upgraded. One of the main challenges in road construction in Indonesia is the presence of soft and weak subgrade soils, which can cause excessive settlement, deformation, and failure of the pavement structure. Therefore, there is a need for an effective and economical solution to improve the subgrade performance and extend the service life of the roads.
Objective:
The objective of this case study is to demonstrate the use of geotextile as a soil reinforcement material for road construction in Indonesia. Geotextile is a synthetic permeable fabric that can separate, filter, reinforce, protect, and drain the soil when used in association with it. Geotextile can be classified into woven and nonwoven types, depending on the manufacturing process and the material used. For this case study, a woven geotextile made of polypropylene was selected, as it has high tensile strength, low elongation, high permeability, and good durability.
Process:
The geotextile application was carried out on a 2 km long section of a rural road in West Java province, Indonesia. The road had a width of 6 m and a design traffic load of 1000 vehicles per day. The existing pavement structure consisted of 15 cm of asphalt concrete over 30 cm of crushed stone base over 50 cm of natural subgrade soil. The subgrade soil was classified as clayey silt with a low bearing capacity and a high compressibility.
The geotextile reinforcement was installed at the interface between the subgrade soil and the crushed stone base layer. The geotextile was laid over the prepared subgrade surface with a minimum overlap of 50 cm at the joints. The geotextile was then covered with 30 cm of crushed stone base material and compacted. Finally, 15 cm of asphalt concrete was placed over the base layer and compacted.
Result:
The performance of the geotextile-reinforced road was monitored for two years after construction. The monitoring included measurements of surface deflection, rut depth, cracking, and roughness. The results showed that the geotextile reinforcement significantly improved the stability and strength of the subgrade soil and reduced the settlement and deformation of the pavement structure. The geotextile-reinforced road had a lower surface deflection, rut depth, cracking, and roughness than the unreinforced road. The geotextile-reinforced road also had a higher service life and lower maintenance cost than the unreinforced road.
Conclusion:
This case study illustrates the benefits of using geotextile for road construction in Indonesia. Geotextile can provide a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for enhancing the performance and durability of pavement structures on soft and weak subgrade soils. Geotextile can also reduce the consumption of natural resources such as aggregates and asphalt by reducing the thickness of pavement layers. Geotextile is therefore a valuable material for improving the quality and sustainability of transportation infrastructure in Indonesia.
