Nanocomposite-Modified Jute Geotextile as a Sustainable Solution for Subgrade Strength in Low-Traffic Roadways: A Performance Analysis

Abstract

The adoption of jute-geotextile (JGT) has emerged as an environmentally sound and cost-effective strategy for enhancing the strength of weak soil subgrades in low-volume rural roads. Applying a nontoxic nanocomposite polymer coating transforms natural jute fiber into a viable alternative synthetic fiber for reinforcing materials in road construction. This nanocomposite coating significantly improves the impact strength, tensile strength, durability, drapability, and hydrophobicity of JGT, which makes this modified jute an exceptional material for reinforcing pavements. Assessment of chemically treated JGT involved laboratory-scale California bearing ratio (CBR) tests, revealing an approximately 89% improvement in load-bearing capacity in soaked and approximately 114% in unsoaked conditions when integrated into soft clayey soil subgrade. Rigorous biodegradability tests under water-submerged loading conditions confirmed the material’s durability and sustainability. The JGT nanocomposite retained 100% of its initial tensile strength after 3 months of water submersion in soil conditions resembling three monsoon seasons in the Indian subcontinent. Even after 6 months of submersion, the treated geotextile showed minor tensile strength loss (5.04% in the machine direction and 10.66% in the cross direction), which was deemed negligible. Finite-element software (IITPAVE) simulations, based on soaked CBR values, demonstrated that the integration of nanocomposite JGT reduced the thickness of the base coarse layer by 35.55% in T9 [1.5 to 2 million standard axles (msa)] traffic category roads which directly shows the cost-effectiveness for rural road construction. So, incorporating nanocomposite-coated JGT as a reinforcing material in pavement construction offers a compelling, cost-effective, eco-friendly, and sustainable solution for improving the stability of weak subgrade in low-volume roads.