Comparative Analysis of Flexible Pavement With and Without Geotextile Fabrics

Abstract

Flexible pavements constructed over weak or moisture-sensitive subgrade soils frequently experience premature distress in the form of rutting, excessive settlement, and cracking. Conventional solutions that rely on increasing pavement thickness often lead to higher construction and maintenance costs without proportionate performance benefits. In recent years, non-woven geotextile fabrics have gained attention as an effective ground-improvement technique due to their multifunctional roles of separation, filtration, drainage, and reinforcement. This study presents a comparative experimental investigation of flexible pavement performance with and without non-woven geotextile reinforcement. Laboratory tests including moisture content, specific gravity, grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, compaction characteristics, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and permeability were conducted on locally available weak subgrade soils. Pavement models were prepared in unreinforced and geotextile-reinforced configurations, with the geotextile placed between the subgrade and granular sub-base layer. The results demonstrate significant improvement in CBR values, reduction in settlement, and enhancement of drainage characteristics due to the inclusion of non-woven geotextile. Although the initial construction cost increases marginally, the long-term benefits in terms of improved structural performance, reduced maintenance, and extended service life make geotextile-reinforced pavements a technically and economically viable solution. The findings confirm the suitability of non-woven geotextiles for flexible pavement construction over weak subgrades.