AASHTO M288Specs History.doc

7/27/2019 AASHTO M288Specs History.doc

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AASHTO Specs

M288-96: The updated AASHTO geotextile specificationsBy L. David Suits and Gregory N. Richardson

During the past ear! "#$ has repeatedl %entioned the si%plicit andother &enefits deri'ed fro% the ne( A%erican Association of StateHigh(a and Transportation Officials )AASHTO* M288-96 "eotextileSpecifications+ ,nfortunatel it has &een easier for %ost to read a&outthe &enefits of M288-96 than to o&tain a cop of the actualspecifications+ At the end of 9.! AASHTO finall pu&lished M288-96(ithin its t(o-'olu%e Standard Specifications for TransportationMaterials and Methods of Sampling and Testing! /8th edition+ Thisarticle re'ie(s the de'elop%ent of the AASHTO geotextilespecifications and presents a si%ple su%%ar ta&le that identifiesexisting co%%ercial products that fit in each default ser'ice categor+

Background0n /982! the 1o%%ittee on Materials of AASHTO! the A%erican $oadand Transportation uilders Association )A$TA*! and the Associationof "eneral 1ontractors )A1* for%ed 3oint Tas4 #orce 25 )T# 25*+ Thetas4 force (as %ade up of representati'es of the geotextile industr!pri'ate contractors! and state and federal transportation agencies+ T#25s pri%ar responsi&ilit (as to re'ie( ta&les of suggestedgeotextile propert 'alues for the #ederal High(a Association )#HA*"eotextile Manual &eing prepared at the ti%e+

The %aterial properties included in the original (or4 of T# 25(ere &ased on experience in the use of these %aterials at the ti%e+The resulting (or4 (as pu&lished in the AASHTO Specification oo4 asSpecification M-288 on "eotextiles+

ecause of the use of geotextiles in the ,nited States (as ne( andthere (ere 'er fe(! if an! accepted design %ethodologies forgeotextiles! the tas4 force too4 a conser'ati'e approach to its (or4+

The specifications did not co'er or encourage designing for the use ofthese %aterials and did not pro%ote the perfor%ance and econo%ic&enefits of follo(ing detailed design procedures+#ollo(ing their initial re'ie(! the tas4 force continued to de'elop guidespecifications for geotextiles used in pa'ing! su&surface drainage!erosion control! sedi%ent control )silt fences* and separationapplications+ 0n /986! the tas4 force appro'ed proposed specifications!including %aterial propert 'alues and notes on construction and


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installation procedures! for each of the fi'e applications+ et(een /986and /997! the fi'e indi'idual specifications (ere %erged into a single%aterial specification! (hich no longer included the construction andinstallation notes that had appeared in the indi'idual docu%ents+

0n /989! this single docu%ent (as su&%itted for an AASHTOSu&co%%ittee on Materials &allot as a re'ision to the existingAASHTOM288 Specification for Geotextiles Used for Subsurface Drainageurposes!As indicated & the title! the existing specification applied todrainage fa&rics alone+ The re'ision represented an enlarge%ent of theapplications co'ered & M288+

The re'isions (ere appro'ed! and the re'ised specification firstappeared in the Standard Specifications for Transportation Materialsand Methods of Sampling and Testing"/5th edition )AASHTO /997* asAASHTO Specification M288-97 on "eotextiles+ A for%al report of T#

25s (or4 (as pu&lished separatel in /997+

/992! geotextile usage had gro(n at a rapid rate! and the (or4 ofTas4 #orce 25 (as nearl /7 ears old+ As such! AASHTOSu&co%%ittee on Materials! Technical Section e appro'ed a for%alre'ie( of M288-97+ A preli%inar re'ie( (as done (ith a s%all tas4force in earl /992! and a for%al 3oint AASHTO-0ndustrial #a&ricsAssociation 0nternational )0#A0* Tas4 #orce (as esta&lished later thatear+ The tas4 force (as co%posed of acade%ic! industrial! and stateand federal transportation depart%ental representation+

hen pu&lished in the AASHTO Specification oo4! M288-97 had notincluded the construction and installation notes de'eloped & T# 25+One of the ne( tas4 forces first responsi&ilities (as to approachAASHTO and (or4 out the logistics of including so%e for% of thesenotes in M288-92+ Once this (as acco%plished! the tas4 force di'idedinto t(o su&-groups! one to (or4 on %aterial properties! and the other(or4 on the construction and installation notes+ oth (ere included(hen M288-92 (as pu&lished in /99+

$e'isions to specifications: M288-96As experience (as gained and design %ethodologies de'eloped! the

need to re'isit Specification M288-92 (as realied+ A ;oint AASHTO-0#A0 Tas4 #orce (as for%ed in /99 to re'ie( and re'ise thespecification! and the resulting (or4 (as adopted & AASHTO in /996and pu&lished in /99.+ The latest specifications are &ased on accepteddesign procedures &ut also pro'ide default %aterial propert 'alues forinstances (hen actual design procedures are not used+Ta&le / liststhe M288-96 default geotextile class and design class for thesu&surface drainage! per%anent erosion control! separation and
http://www.domain.com/ASHTO_Spec/Table_1/table_1.htmlhttp://www.domain.com/ASHTO_Spec/Table_1/table_1.html


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sta&iliation applications+ The design class is a lesser class that %a &eused (hen field experience! la&orator tests on exhu%ed sa%ples!and


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application+ This infor%ation (as o&tained & polling the respecti'e%anufacturers+ Additional %anufacturers (ere contacted &ut did notrespond to the in=uir+

@o %anufacturer currentl pro'ides its geotextile properties in a

%anner that allo(s a =uic4 M288-96 selection & the designer+ A =uic4re'ie( of the geotextile identifiers used & the %anufacturers sho(sthat the con'enience afforded & M288-96 has et to &e adopted &the producers+ All %anufacturers do produce products that %eet andexceed the M288-96 criteria? the use of these specifications does notli%it the pool of potential suppliers+

1onstruction installation guidelinesAfter &eing o%itted fro% M288-97 and M288-92! construction andinstallation guides are no( included as appendices to the currentAASHTO specification &oo4+ The notes include directions on site

preparation! %aterial o'erlap! ar%or stone place%ent! post spacing forsilt fences! e%&edding! da%age repair! preparation! %aterial o'erlap!ar%or stone place%ent! post spacing for silt fences! e%&edding!da%age repair! o'erlapping! direction of place%ent in (ater and onslopes! and installation suggestions for pa'ing fa&rics+ >roperinstallation is critical for the long-ter% perfor%ance of angeosnthetic+ 0t is i%portant that the notes and %aterial specificationsare pu&lished together+

SummaryThe de'elop%ent of construction %aterial specifications is an e'er

e'ol'ing process! &ecause 4no(ledge of perfor%ance and the tpes ofa'aila&le %aterials are al(as changing+ As a result! the %anner in(hich such %aterials are specified %ust e'ol'e (ith ti%e+ AASHTOM288-96 specifications reflect our current 4no(ledge of geotextiles!&ased on %ore than t(o decades of use and a'aila&le %aterials+ 0t (ill%ost certainl continue to e'ol'e as our 4no(ledge and %aterialsi%pro'e+ The cooperati'e process &et(een users and %anufacturers inde'eloping M288 guidelines should continue to ser'e as an exa%aplein this e'olution+

The i%portance of standardiation is not uni=ue to geosnthetics+ An

article in the Sept+ /5! /99. Bngineering @e(s $ecord on the use ofplastic co%posites in high(a &ridge structures la%ents that! despitecost and ser'ice ad'antages! the use of the %aterial is still ris4&usiness and (ill &e shunned & %an o(ners and engineers+ 0t=uotes an industr %e%&er+ hat (e need is %ore infor%ation on the&asic %echanical and phsical properties of the %aterials for standardsand design specification de'elop%ent! and concludes! ,ntil then! its&uer &e(are! especiall for construction+ All &uilding products ha'e


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gone through the tpe of standards e'olution that geosnthetics arecurrentl experiencing+ e feel that M288-96 can contri&ute to theprocess and lead to fe(er uni=ue predications & the users! thusre=uiring fe(er geotextile 'arieties fro% the %anufacturers+

L. David Suites! >+B+ is (ith the @e( Cor4 State Depart%ent ofTransportation+ He is a %e%&er of the AASHTO 1o%%ittee thatde'eloped M288-96+A regular and prolific contri&utor to "#$! Gregory N. Richardson,>h+D+! >+B+! is principal for "+@+ $ichardson Associates! $aleigh! @+1+

References

AASHTO+ /997+ Specification M288-97 on "eotextiles+ StandardSpecifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Samplingand Testing/5th ed+ ashington! D+1+: AASHTO+AASHTO+ /99+ Specification M288-92 on "eotextiles+ Standard

Specifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Samplingand Testing/6th ed+ ashington! D+1+: AASHTO+AASHTO+ /99.+ Specification M288-96 on "eotextiles+ StandardSpecifications for Transportation Materials and Methods of Samplingand Testing/8th ed+ ashington! D+1+: AASHTO+>hair! M+ and +3+ Angelo+ /99.+ 1o%posites Astound 1onfound!#ngineering $e%s &ecord+ )29! //! Septe%&er /5*! @e( Cor4:Mcgra(-Hill pp+ -8+

AASHTO Specs - Table 1

Tale ! lists the M"##$%& de'ault geote(tileclass and design class 'or the susur'acedrainage, )ermanent erosion control,se)aration and staili*ation a))lications.

T+BL !. D-+LT G/T0T1L 2L+SSS -/R M"##$%&

+))lication 2lass De'ault 2lass Design

Su&surface Drainage 1lass 2 1lass

>er%anent Brosion1ontrol

1lass 2 for (o'en%onofila%ents

1lass 2

1lass / for all others

Separation 1lass 2 1lass


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Sta&iliation 1lass / 1lass 2 or

AASHTO Specs - Table 2

Tale " com)ares M"##$%" survivaility 2lasses+ and B to the de'ault survivaility classes listedin M"##$%&.

T+BL ". ++S3T/ S421-12+T1/NS M$"##+44L12+T1/N52L+SSS

+))lication M"## 6ersion Survivaility 2lass

Su&surface drainageM288-92

A

Su&surface drainageM288-96

2

Sedi%ent controlM288-92

Self-supported

ire fencesupported

Te%porar silt fence M288-96 ,nsupported Supported

Brosion controlM288-92

A

>er%anent erosioncontrol

M288-96

/ 2

>a'ing fa&ricM288-92

>a'ing fa&ric M288-96

SeparationM288-92

High Mediu%

Separation )1$E*M288-96

2


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Sta&iliation)2F1$F*

M288-92

/ )default* 2!

Documents

AASHTO M288Specs History.doc