Constriction Size of Geotextile Filters

Abstract

Filtration performance of nonwoven geotextiles strongly depends on pore opening constriction size, i.e., the minimum opening size of flow channels across the geotextile. Currently available methods of pore opening characterizations do not provide accurate information about the constriction size. This paper presents the constriction size distributions of eleven nonwoven geotextiles commonly used as filters based on a probabilistic approach coupled with image analysis, named constriction size (CONS). The image analysis method was developed using mathematical morphology operations. Randomness in the structure of geotextile media was modeled using Markov chain processes. Two characteristic constriction sizes,