Creep is referred to as a time-dependent deformation of a material under constant stress, particularly at high temperatures and creep strength is the ability of a material to resist gradual deformation or failure due to the sustained application of stress at high temperatures.
Creep strength is significant in geotechnical applications like slope stabilisation and retaining walls. The creep response is represented as strain versus time or log time curves, which typically display a non-linear relationship depending on the strain rate and material conditions.
Interpreting the three stages of creep is vital for engineers to predict how materials will behave under long – term stress conditions:
A creep test allows engineers to design structures while understanding the relationship between stress, temperatures, and creep strength to ensure that a part will not fail at loads below its yield strength at elevated temperatures.While conducting the creep test, the specimen is subjected to elevated temperature conditions and loaded with a fixed tensile force or tensile stress. Stress relaxation tests determine the lessening of stress over time under constant deformation, simulating how a geosynthetic would function under sustained loads. Long-term durability testing in isolation typically simulates the effects of UV radiation, chemical exposure, and temperature changes on geosynthetics.
Creep strength in geosynthetics is influenced by several key factors that regulate their long-term performance and durability in various soil-related structures.
Creep strength in geosynthetics is a key property that refers to the material’s ability to resist time-dependent deformation under a constant load over an extended period. Creep strength is significant in applications such as reinforcement of soil structures, stabilisation, drainage systems, or geotextile applications in road construction. Geogrids and geocells are widely used to improve soil stability and their ability to mitigate soil creep is vital for ensuring the durability and safety of civil engineering structures. Unlike tensile strength, creep strength focuses on long-term performance under a constant load. In geosynthetics, a higher resilient modulus may correlate with reduced creep deformation over time, emphasising the need for comprehensive testing to fully assess material performance.
Geogrids are flat, grid-like structures made from polymer materials, such as polyester or polypropylene, which interlock with soil particles to create a mechanically stabilised layer. This structure enhances load distribution, allowing forces to be transferred across a wider area, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of the soil and creep strength. The junction efficiency of geogrids is pivotal, particularly for applications involving the ‘confinement effect’. This characteristic is more critical for stabilisation applications than the tensile strength of the geogrid itself, as it influences overall performance in various loading conditions. The use of multiple layers of geogrids can significantly improve the load-settlement behaviour of foundations and slopes, thereby increasing safety factors in geotechnical applications.
Geocells are three-dimensional honeycomb-like structures that confine and contain infill materials, which can be soils, aggregates, or other materials.
The rate and amount of creep strength increase with the applied load in soils reinforced with geocells. Geocells effectively reduce creep deformation in soils subjected to long-term loading conditions as the lateral confinement provided by geocells helps maintain the integrity of the soil structure, thereby limiting the volumetric changes associated with moisture content variations. Geocells provide greater support to the infill material and tend to distribute applied loads more evenly, leading to reduced creep effects compared to traditional soil without reinforcement.This property results in enhanced stability for slopes and embankments.
High creep strength geosynthetics are essential in numerous civil engineering applications.They are:
Creep strength is concerned with the material’s resistance to long-term deformation without excessive strain. It helps predict whether a material will exhibit acceptable levels of elongation over time during its service life. Creep rupture strength refers to the maximum stress a material can sustain under a constant load for a long period of time before it ruptures or fails due to creep deformation. It is an indicator of how much time a material can withstand a load before rupturing or breaking.
The importance of creep strength in geosynthetics cannot be understated. For civil engineering applications that require long-term durability and stability, geosynthetics with excellent creep resistance are essential, whether in road construction, landfill containment, or soil reinforcement. As infrastructure demands evolve, focusing on creep strength in geosynthetics will continue to be a key factor in developing reliable, and environmentally resilient solutions.
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Director, President – Glen Raven Technical Fabrics
Strata/Glen Raven tenure: 10 years/28 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
MBA – Wake Forest University
Directs the strategic direction of Glen Raven’s automotive, protective apparel, military, geogrid, outdoor and logistic businesses.
Director, General Manager, Strata Inc.
Strata/Strata Inc. tenure: 3 years/14 years
Total industry experience: 25 years
MBA – Georgia State University
Led the integration of Strata Inc. business operations into the headquarters of GRTF and transition from USA based to India based manufacturing.
Director
Strata tenure: 17 years
Total industry experience: 47 years
CA – ICA
Played a key role in the establishment of Strata’s India operations. Provides vision for product innovation and leveraging new technology trends.
Global Technical Sales Director
Strata tenure: 7 years
Total industry experience: 32 years
Civil & Geotechnical Engineer (First class)
Provides highly technical and innovative civil engineering solutions in India and around the world. Responsible for the design and execution of large-scale geotechnical projects around the world including Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and South America.
CTO – Chief Technology Officer
Strata tenure: 9 years
Total industry experience: 48 years
BTech (Hons), MTech (Civil) Both IIT Bombay, DMS (Bombay University), FIE, FIGS, Chartered Engineer
Streamlines the designs of Geosynthetics and has brought innovation in geogrid and geocell design application.
COO – Projects and Sales
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 24 years
MBA – University of Gujarat
Leads the monetization of products and solutions while ensuring highest execution quality and project profitability.
COO – Technical Textiles
Strata tenure: 13 years
Total industry experience: 33 years
BE (Mechanical) – Nagpur University
Drives excellence in process design, product features and cost effectiveness in production.
CFO – Chief Financial Officer
Strata tenure: 8 years
Total industry experience: 35 years
CA – ICA, ICWA – ICWAI
Leads the finance, accounting, taxation, commercial, legal and IT functions and assisting on all strategic and operational matters.
CDO – Chief Development Officer
Strata tenure: 10 years
Total industry experience: 13 years
MBA – ISB, Hyderabad
Leads diversification of the product portfolio, monetizing the new products and ensuring successful sustained financial growth of the company top line.
CEO – Chief Executive Officer
Strata tenure: 14 years
Total industry experience: 42 years
B Tech (Chemical) – IIT Delhi
Leads day-to-day business operations of the company with focus on capacity expansion, product and process improvement.
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