This guide is intended to introduce the reader to the basic concepts of geotextiles durability and its assessment. Consideration of the design parameters, the project conditions and the geotextile properties leads to the definition of the appropriate tests to be performed for assessing the durability of the geotextile .

Geotextiles and geotextile-related products (referred to below as geotextiles) are available in a wide range of compositions appropriate to different applications and environments.The synthetic polymers used consist mainly of polyamide, polyester, polyethylene and polypropylene. These materials, when correctly processed and stabilised, are resistant to chemical and microbiological attack encountered in normal soil environments and for normal design lives. For such applications only a minimum number of screening or “index” tests are necessary.

For applications in more severe environments such as soil treated with lime or cement, landfills or industrial waste, or for applications with particularly long design lives, special tests including “performance” tests with site-specific parameters may be required.

This guide does not cover products designed to survive for a limited time, such as erosion control fabric based on natural fibres, nor does it cover geomembranes, nor geotextiles for asphalt reinforcement. Creep and creep-rupture, which should be taken into consideration for soil reinforcement applications, are described in outline but the use of the data in reinforced soil design will be the subject of a separate document.