Risks arising from geological activity, whether caused by natural processes or human intervention, are commonly referred to as geohazards. These hazards can pose serious threats to people, property and infrastructure, and include events such as landslides, rockfall, debris flows, flooding, earthquakes and other ground-related failures.
In recent years, geohazard events have had a significant impact on infrastructure across the globe. High-profile incidents include landslides triggered by hurricanes in Puerto Rico, and earthquakes affecting regions worldwide. These events highlight the growing need for resilient, adaptable infrastructure solutions.
Geosynthetics play a vital role in reducing future risk, improving resilience, and supporting the reconstruction of infrastructure following such events. These versatile materials are typically used in combination with geomaterials to enhance overall performance and behaviour. Key functions provided by geosynthetics include confinement, reinforcement, drainage, separation and filtration. In many applications, multiple functions are combined to achieve optimal performance. As a result, geosynthetics contribute significantly to improving the survivability and long-term resilience of infrastructure.
Geosynthetics have been successfully utilised across a wide range of applications, including:
- Reinforced embankments, designed to redirect potential debris flows away from people, structures and critical transport routes.
- Reconstruction of roadway embankments as reinforced slopes, where improved drainage and the ability to construct steeper slopes are often required to restore routes efficiently. These solutions may incorporate geotextiles, geogrids, drainage composites and erosion control blankets.
- Erosion protection for coastal and riverbank environments, using systems such as geotextile tubes or geogrids, which can also be applied to mitigate scour around structures.
- Mechanically stabilised retaining walls, which can provide both structural support and protection against rockfall hazards.
- Construction platforms and load transfer platforms, used to reduce the effects of liquefaction, sinkholes, or problematic ground conditions such as collapsible soils. These systems help distribute loads more evenly, reducing settlement and performance risk.
Geosynthetics offer a cost-effective and rapidly deployable solution for both emergency response and long-term infrastructure design. They can be engineered to meet specific design life requirements, enhancing the durability and resilience of structures while addressing the uncertainties associated with geohazards. In addition, their lightweight and compact nature makes them particularly well suited to projects in remote or constrained locations where access is limited.
