These geotextile fabrics are designed using parallel strands interlaced with each other. The thin, flat fabric produced resembles a burlap. The weave pattern of the textile is determined by the layout of the interlacing yarns. The weave pattern affects the properties of the fabric including its porosity and strength. In general, the woven geotextiles do not permit water to flow as freely as non-woven geotextiles. This aids in filtration applications and the fabric does not allow soil particles to move around freely. Through this process roads made with woven geotextile materials erode less and last longer.
The non-woven fabrics can be prepared using a variety of procedures and look like felt fabrics. Non-woven geotextile material has a greater likelihood of stretching when compared to its woven counterpart. This aids in allowing water to flow along the plane of the fabric. This is particularly important while attempting to use geotextiles for draining water away from the soil or the road.
Currently, as of 2011, geotextile materials can be used to increase the strength and stability of the underlying soil in a roadway. As an example, we can consider the case where the fabric is used with sand in order to evenly distribute the load to reduce the process of rutting and ensure that no sudden grooves are formed in the road.
One of the more important uses of geotextile fabrics is to maintain a separation between layers of different sized soil particles. The fabric essentially restricts the upward flow of water and finer soil particles into the gravel, which would otherwise drastically reduce the strength of the gravel.
