Criteria for the choice of geosynthetics in soil reinforcement : geosynthetics

In geotechnical engineering, reinforcement can be any material used to achieve a higher performance of the soil. The first use of a soil reinforcement material (as per the author's knowledge) is dated about 4 000 years ago when Sumeris, in order to avoid settlement of the Ziggurats, constructed a foundation using clay bricks combined with sand and gravel layers reinforced with woven mats of reed laid horizontally. Today the reinforcement of soil is an important task for design engineers, whereas 50 years ago nobody could imagine how these materials would develop.