DuraForce® AS Series Nonwoven Geotextile

Filtration, separation and reinforcement.

Needle punched is preferable for filtration, and woven is tougher for reinforcement.
Both will effectively separate soil layers.

Woven geotextiles are usually compared by tensile strength which we read on the data sheet. Nonwoven needle punched geotextiles are usually graded according to the NZTA specification F/7. For heavier grades which are not in the F/7 specification comparison is most commonly by fabric weight in grams/m² or tensile strength.

Some geotextiles appear thinner than other brands for the same strength class owing to the manufacturing process. If the textile is needled punched further, to get effective interlock of the fibres, it can appear thinner for the same mass and strength. If a geotextile of the same weight appears thicker and fluffier the difference is probably only fresh air, and who wants to pay for fresh air?

As a separation layer between two matierials e.g clay base and GAP40. This will prevent the two materials mixing which wastes expensive aggregate.

For reinforcing/strengthening the ground. This will ensure your surface is more stable for years to come. Particularly useful with peat/unstable clay ground conditions.

For filtration as the geotextile allows the displacement of water across the relevant area.

DuraForce AS geotextiles are tested for UV resistance, and achieve greater than 80% strength retained after 500 hours of testing.

In reality this means the product is UV stable for exposure periods typical for construction, but it is not designed to be exposed for years.

No. The grey and black geotextiles have a pigment added, usually to hide imperfections in the raw material due to recycled material being used.

NZTA F/7 gives guidance on overlap of geotextiles, which is dependent on the strength of the subgrade. The minimum recommended overlap is 300mm.

We do not recommend using weedmat in place of geotextile. Weedmat will provide separation between two materials to some extent, however it is typically a light grade, therefore sharp stones used for base course and retaining walls will tend to rip this and render it useless.