ABSTRACT
Geotextile tube is a popular solution for dewatering applications. During the dewatering process, infill material is pumped into the geotextile tubes through the inlet port at high pressures, and thus significant amount of tension forces can be developed at the inlet port sleeve and connecting parts of the tube. Geotextile tearing could occur at these locations during high pressure pumping. Therefore, it is important to determine its resistance to tearing and the factors that affect its tearing strength. So far, only limited studies have been done on this aspect. Hence, a new tensile test setup was developed to simulate the application of tensile forces on the inlet port sleeve and surrounding geotextile material during slurry pumping. The setup consists of a housing to clamp a portion of the geotextile tube body, and a circular drum that connects to the inlet port sleeve. Strain gauges were installed on the critical locations on the geotextile test specimen both on body and inlet port sleeve. Several types of inlet port designs were tested, and the critical tearing strength of these inlet ports were analysed. Test results suggest that the seam design connecting the inlet sleeve and geotextile body is a key factor in deciding the critical tearing strength of an inlet port design.
