Bentonite geotextile fabric. Description and use.

Our non woven bentonite geotextile is a highly resistant, waterproofing geocomposite material containing 5kg of sodium bentonite per square metre. This product comprises a woven and a non woven geotextile fabric that surround the sodium bentonite, with its high capacity to expand and low permeability features. It is manufactured by means of an interweaving process that entwines both geotextile fabrics to produce an extremely resistant compound capable of maintaining a uniform amount of bentonite while protecting from weather conditions and damages occurred during the construction process. Once confined, bentonite geotextile fabrics are hydrated to form a weatherproof monolithic membrane. Bentonite is a volcanic material noted for its capacity to expand when hydrated.

Our non woven bentonite geotextile fabric may be installed under almost any weather conditions and laid on top of uncured concrete with proven efficiency in both new build and refurbishment projects worldwide. With its excellent resistance to wide temperature and humidity fluctuations,  this material represents a good alternative to sealing with compacted clays.

Our non woven bentonite geotextile fabric works by forming a low permeability membrane when in contact with water. When not confined, bentonite is able to expand its original volume up to 15 times when hydrated. When confined under pressure, this expansion is controlled resulting in a dense, waterproofing membrane. Thanks to its capacity to expand, bentonite is able to seal small concrete cracks caused by ground settlements, shrinkage or seismic action that would otherwise be beyond control. Our bentonite geotextile fabric creates a strong mechanical bondage with concrete as soon as the geotextile fibres are encapsulated on its surface when poured on top of the bentonite itself.

Our non woven bentonite geotextile fabrics are geocomposite materials designed to waterproof both vertical and horizontal underground surfaces. Among its most common uses are concrete basement walls, buried covers, slabs, floors, tunnels, false tunnels, slurry walls and wall formworks. Slurry walls include contiguous and non contiguous piled walls, sheathing, sheet piles, wet sprayed concrete walls and soil retaining walls. Further applications include structures under any continuous or intermittent hydrostatic pressure.

Among its most notable features are:

• High resistance to temperature and humidity fluctuations.
• An alternative to sealing with compacted clays and geomembranes.

Below are the advantages of using bentonite geotextile fabrics:

• When hydrated, bentonite clay produces an increase in the material’s volume forming a dense gel that prevents water ingress.
• Double action. While the woven polypropylene geotextile acts as the supporting layer,  the non-woven geotextile fabric covers the geocomposite.
• Does not require soldering or joints as it is installed by means of overlaps.
• Easy to install even in the most unfavourable weather conditions.
• Bentonite geotextile fabrics are capable of expanding when hydrated, allowing for a complete sealing while retaining their waterproofing features in the event of accidental operation.
• Due to its structure, this geotextile fabric is flexible to adapt to any land layout without reducing its resistance and uniformity.
• Excellent behaviour when installed on terrain slopes.

Please ensure that the bentonite geotextile fabric and all its accessories are stored in a dry place covered by a canvas sheet in order to maintain all its features intact. We recommend storing on top of pallets to prevent it from coming into contact with ground water.
For further information and prices for our bentonite geotextile products do not hesitate to contact us at info@texdelta.com