Jute geotextiles can be used as reinforcing material to stabilise both peat and black cotton soil as its feasibility for various civil engineering applications was evaluated, Union Jute Commissioner, under Ministry of Textiles, Subrata Gupta disclosed.
There is vast scope of using this material in civil engineering projects inter-alia road construction, slope protection and water reservoirs in North Eastern Region (NER), Gupta said while addressing as chief guest at ?one-day technical workshop on applications of Jute Geo textiles in Nagaland? organided by the Indian Jute Industries Research Association (IJIRA) under sponsorship of Ministry of Textiles and National Jute Board at Kohima.
Gupta also said laboratory tests show the increment of soil properties like shear strength and dry density while permeability and settlement decreased on introduction of jute geo-textile, indicating significant improvement in the engineering behaviour. The workshop was a part of a scheme sponsored by Ministry of Textiles for promoting usage of geotechnical textiles in NER, for five years from 2014-15 to 2018-19 with a financial outlay of Rs 427 crore.
He pointed out that use of jute geotextiles in road construction could reduce the thickness of the pavement, thereby reducing the quantity of material required, providing 10-11 per cent cost cutting.