NEW: non-woven geotextile by Contech

The technology of using a nonwoven geotextile as a concrete pavement interlayer has been widely proven in Europe for over 30 years. In 2006, this technology reemerged in the US due to the efforts of FHWA and several State DOTs. The technology improves the quality of Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements and greatly lowers their costs.

There are two basic applications for a concrete interlayer geotextile; 1) between existing PCC, asphalt concrete, or composite pavements and a new PCC overlay; and 2) between a treated base or subgrade and a new PCC slab. Traditionally, a hot mix asphalt concrete (HMA) layer was employed and the functions of the interlayer are as follow:

To provide a degree of disbonding to the underlying substrate, this may be cracked, jointed or otherwise active and directly transferring stresses that may cause damage to the new PCC above it.

To absorb and dissipate crack inducing stresses associated with movement within the substrate, to keep the overlying new PCC pavement from cracking.

To protect a chemically treated base or subgrade from the erosion caused by direct contact with a PCC slab.

To provide a suitable base on which the PCC placement equipment can navigate.