Geotextile Materials Classification

The development of modern geosynthetic materials is built upon the advancements in synthetic materials, including plastics, synthetic fibers, and synthetic rubbers. In 1870, W. Johnson and I. S. Hyatt in the United States invented a plastic made by adding camphor plasticizer to nitrocellulose, known as "celluloid." In 1908, Leo Baekeland developed phenolic plastic. Before the 1950s, materials such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), nylon, polyester (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) were successively introduced. With the successful development of various plastics, a variety of synthetic fibers were also gradually produced.

After the 1930s, geosynthetic materials began to be used in various geotechnical constructions. The modern application of geosynthetic materials dates back to 1958 when R.J. Barret in Florida, USA, employed polyvinyl chloride fabrics as a base layer for coastal rubble revetments, primarily utilizing woven geosynthetic textiles. However, due to the strong directional strength of woven geosynthetic textiles and their higher cost, nonwoven geosynthetic materials (nonwovens) emerged in Europe by the late 1960s, significantly boosting the application and development of geosynthetic materials. Nonwoven geosynthetic textiles quickly spread from Europe to the Americas, Africa, Australia, and later to Asia. To better meet the needs of different engineering projects, a variety of geosynthetic materials, such as geomembranes, geogrids, geocells, three-dimensional geosynthetic pads, and geocells, were introduced from synthetic polymers and have rapidly developed, earning them the title of the fifth major construction material, following bricks, wood, steel, and cement.