Evaluation of water removal capability of wicking nonwoven geotextiles

Water accumulation in road bases and subgrade is one of the primary causes of road distress. To counteract this adverse impact, this study introduces a novel geosynthetic composite, consisting of biaxial polypropylene geogrids heat-bonded to wicking nonwoven geotextiles (WNWGs). This new composite integrates wicking capabilities with reinforcement. Unlike wicking woven geotextiles (WWGs), which rely on deep-grooved fibers for wetting and wicking, the wicking mechanism of WNWGs is primarily based on the microstructure and unique fiber orientation of the nonwoven geotextile component, further enhanced by proprietary chemical treatment to convert the fibers from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. This modification allows WNWGs to exhibit rapid wetting and wicking properties while preserving the large lateral drainage functionality of conventional nonwoven geotextiles. To assess the wicking performance of this material, a series of wicking tests were conducted in both water and saturated soils under controlled temperature and relative humidity. Additionally, contact angle measurements and microscopic analyses using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were conducted to elucidate the underlying wicking mechanisms. The results confirmed that the WNWGs possessed superior spontaneous and forced wetting and wicking capabilities compared to traditional nonwoven geotextiles. The findings offer valuable reference for evaluating the performance of the WNWG-geogrid composite. • Wicking nonwoven geotextiles exhibited significant both spontaneous and forced wicking behaviors. • Both water-only wicking and in-soil wicking tests were performed to quantify the wicking behaviors of the material. • Contact angle test and capillary rise test were performed to evaluate the capillary forces and equivalent capillary radius.