| Summary: |
The GeoSynergism project is about the durability of geosynthetics, focusing mainly on the interactions (synergisms or antagonisms) that may occur between the degradation agents of these materials. The study of such interactions represents an innovative and relevant contribution for the development of the knowledge about the durability of geosynthetics (the available studies on this topic consider mostly the isolated action of the degradation agents, not accounting for the possible interactions that may
occur between them). The main aim of the GeoSynergism project is to estimate more realistically the long-term behaviour of the geosynthetics and thereby contribute for the improvement of their design methods.
For this purpose, GeoSynergism will assess the durability of geosynthetics taking into account the combined action of many different degradation agents: liquids (water, acids and alkalis, saline solutions, and metal ion solutions), thermo-oxidation, ultraviolet radiation and other weathering agents, creep, abrasion, and installation damage. The research strategy of GeoSynergism project consists in (1) expose the geosynthetics to the isolated action of the degradation agents (single exposures), and then (2) expose successively the materials to combinations of two, or more, degradation agents (multiple exposures).The damage occurred in the geosynthetics (during the single and multiple exposures) will be evaluated by monitoring changes in their physical, mechanical and hydraulic properties. Based on those changes, the combined effect of the degradation agents will be compared to the sum of their isolated effects. This way, the occurrence of interactions (synergisms) between the different degradation agents will be evaluated.
The results of GeoSynergism project will contribute to (1) estimate with more accuracy the long-term behaviour of geosynthetics, (2) identify and quantify interactions between the different degradation agents of geosynthetics, (3) evaluat  |
Summary
The GeoSynergism project is about the durability of geosynthetics, focusing mainly on the interactions (synergisms or antagonisms) that may occur between the degradation agents of these materials. The study of such interactions represents an innovative and relevant contribution for the development of the knowledge about the durability of geosynthetics (the available studies on this topic consider mostly the isolated action of the degradation agents, not accounting for the possible interactions that may
occur between them). The main aim of the GeoSynergism project is to estimate more realistically the long-term behaviour of the geosynthetics and thereby contribute for the improvement of their design methods.
For this purpose, GeoSynergism will assess the durability of geosynthetics taking into account the combined action of many different degradation agents: liquids (water, acids and alkalis, saline solutions, and metal ion solutions), thermo-oxidation, ultraviolet radiation and other weathering agents, creep, abrasion, and installation damage. The research strategy of GeoSynergism project consists in (1) expose the geosynthetics to the isolated action of the degradation agents (single exposures), and then (2) expose successively the materials to combinations of two, or more, degradation agents (multiple exposures).The damage occurred in the geosynthetics (during the single and multiple exposures) will be evaluated by monitoring changes in their physical, mechanical and hydraulic properties. Based on those changes, the combined effect of the degradation agents will be compared to the sum of their isolated effects. This way, the occurrence of interactions (synergisms) between the different degradation agents will be evaluated.
The results of GeoSynergism project will contribute to (1) estimate with more accuracy the long-term behaviour of geosynthetics, (2) identify and quantify interactions between the different degradation agents of geosynthetics, (3) evaluate if the actual design methods are able to predict correctly the combined effect of the degradation agents and (4) improve the methods for determining reduction factors for the combined action of the degradation agents. Globally, the results of GeoSynergism project will contribute to a better understanding of the durability (and degradation mechanisms) of geosynthetics, taking into account the interactions that may occur between the different degradation agents, thereby allowing a more sustainable application of these materials in Civil and Environmental Engineering. |