Overview
Various aspects of geosynthetic durability are addressed in this (one-hour) course in order to develop procedures that could be used to predict long-term strength losses of geosynthetics used in highway applications. This information is essential to designers for allowing tensile capacity for geosynthetics used primarily in mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls, reinforced soil slopes, and foundation stabilization.
The study was conducted in stages, each stage building on the knowledge previously gained. The main objectives addressed were to: (1) develop testing protocols necessary to quantify any strength reduction due to aging or stress (stress cracking only) mechanisms for polymeric reinforcement materials (geosynthetics), and (2) develop testing protocols for confined stress-strain testing, which could more accurately characterize key engineering properties. The results of the experimental tasks are discussed on the following pages.
This course is based entirely on publication FHWA-RD-01-050 Durability of Geosynthetics for Highway Applications, which includes a summary of four previously published reports on this topic.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:
- Oxidative incubations
- High-performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
- Hydrolysis incubations
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
- Measurement of molecular weight (or intrinsic viscosity) and Carboxyl End Group (CEG)
- Stress cracking is a potential mode of failure
Course
Click on the following link to the PDF document to review the course material before taking the quiz for credit.
Durability of Geosynthetics for Highway Applications
Having trouble downloading the PDF file?
If clicking the link does not bring you to the PDF file, then right-click the link. Click "Save Target As" and save on your desktop. To view the file, double-click the icon on your desktop and return to this page to take the quiz. You may want to bookmark this page for your convenience. If you have questions, Live Support Chat can help.
You
may need Adobe Reader to view this document. Click on the link to download a
free copy of the latest version of Adobe Reader.
To receive PDH credit for this course, you must pass a multiple-choice quiz. Click the button below to Purchase Course and Take Quiz. To take the quiz, your computer must be set to accept cookies. See how to check your cookie settings.







