What Are Geo Bags?
Geo bags for slope protection
Riverbank erosion is a massive environmental issue that is constantly rising due to human activities and changes in the channel. The only way to control this is by using erosion control structures for area restoration. The geotextile industry has come up with an innovative solution for developing geo bags for this.
What is geotextile and what are the types?
Geotextile refers to any textile product that is used under the soil. Today, geosynthetic materials are widely employed in the geo technical and civil engineering fields.
The three basic types of geotextile fabric are non-woven geo bags, woven geotextiles, and coir geotextiles. Each geotextile has a distinct weight or strength that fulfills both low weight and high strength needs.
What are geo bags?
The non-woven bag is a technical cloth that has three tightly sewn three sides and one open side. The bag has to be filled with dirt and built during maritime and hydraulic constructions. A nonwoven geotextile bag is a geosynthetic product of polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene. The functions of such bags are protecting hydraulic structures and riverbanks from severe erosion and scouring. It can effectively prevent riverbank erosion, safeguard beaches and provide flood protection.
Main functions of geobags
1. Soil Erosion Prevention on Riverbanks
Soil erosion is a major problem in India. So many disasters like floods, deforestation, and the extinction of flora and animals occur due to this. Geo bags have a higher success rate than other riverside soil arresting approaches. Geo bags can help wild animals in the forest in gaining access to water without sliding into bodies of water.
2. Cheaper flood-Prevention alternative
Most flood prevention techniques, traditional or modern is an extremely high investment. But even high-quality bags are not so expensive. They can be used to construct sandbag barriers to redirect flood water or slow its flow. Also, it is easier to install without causing any damage to existing structures or buildings.
3. Ports, Dams, and Harbors Construction
Geo fabric is robust, resilient, long-lasting, and provides strong protection against strong water flow. Geo bags can also be utilized to strengthen the dock foundation and provide further protection for areas with stronger water currents.
4. Groynes and Breakwaters Under Scour Protection
Groynes and breakwaters are built into the oceans to protect coastal regions from the impact of waves. These structures over time erode and put coastal regions in danger. Geo bags can secure these buildings and prevent any possible danger. This cost-effective option increases the lifetime of groyne and breakwaters.
Other benefits of geo bags
Some of the other additional benefits of geo bags are:
1. Geotextile bags have friction properties and abrasion resistance quality.
2. They can be used on uneven terrains without compromising on strength.
3. They have long-term durability and high performance.
4. They are environmentally smart and reduce carbon footprint, create habitat zones, minimize site disturbance, etc.
There are multiple uses of a geo bag when it comes to slope protection. They are good for the environment, cheaper, and more convenient than the other alternatives.
