ABSTRACT
While there are several other applications which may benefit from the development of capillary barriers, there are also many applications where an increase in moisture storage from a capillary barrier can be detrimental. For example, for the case of a geotextile reinforced slope, not accounting for moisture accumulation due to the formation of a capillary barrier at the soil-geotextile interface could be detrimental to its stability. Accordingly, a geotextile has been developed with the objective of minimizing the effect of a capillary barrier by using special wicking fibers. The wicking fibers allow the geotextile to reduce the effect of a capillary barrier through mechanisms such as enhanced lateral drainage.
