Industry paper

A Research Update on an Enhanced Lateral Drainage Moisture Management Geosynthetic for Roadways and Civil Structures

Author: Rene Laprade, P.Eng.

Good roadway engineering and construction practices typically require embankment soils and granular fills to be compacted at optimum water content. This approach provides the best performance for the roadway structure. However, the water content in these materials tends to increase post-construction due to factors like precipitation infiltration and capillary action. Slight increases in moisture to these materials can negatively impact the life expectancy, behavior and maintenance costs of our transportation network. When an enhanced moisture management geosynthetic first appeared in the early 2010’s, the only thing that was truly understood about it was that it moves water out of civil structures. Since that time, more than two dozen research projects have quantified the mechanical and hydraulic benefits provided by the geosynthetic. This paper will provide several research updates on these benefits in various climates, soil conditions, and applications. These applications include frost heave mitigation, reduction of damage from expansive clays, decreasing the moisture contents in granular bases as well as subgrades, all in saturated and unsaturated subgrade conditions.