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GEOSYNTHETICS
AFRICA
GEOSYNTHETICS
AFRICA

Polymeric Geostrips

TechStrap polymeric geostrips are flat webbing-structure reinforcement strips engineered for reinforced soil and mechanically stabilised earth structures. Each strap carries a core of closely packed, tensioned high-tenacity polyester filament yarn tendons encased in a linear low density polyethylene sheath, giving high pullout resistance, low creep and long-term durability in granular fill. Available from 30 to 135 kN, and used with precast panel, block and wire mesh facing systems on reinforced soil walls, shored MSE walls and bridge abutments.

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Technical Specification of Polymeric Geostrips

TechStrap polymeric geostrips are geosynthetic reinforcement strips with a flat webbing structure, engineered specifically for the reinforcement of soils and granular fills in reinforced soil and mechanically stabilised earth structures. Unlike planar geogrids and geotextiles, which reinforce across a continuous sheet, geostrips are discrete linear elements laid at designed horizontal and vertical spacings and connected

Each strap comprises a core of closely packed and tensioned high-tenacity polyester filament yarn tendons encased in a sheath of linear low density polyethylene. The polyester tendons carry the entire tensile load and are selected for high molecular weight and low carboxyl end group content, the two properties that govern long-term resistance to hydrolysis in soil. The LLDPE sheath carries no load: it protects the tendons from mechanical damage during placement and compaction, resists chemical and biological attack in the fill, and provides the surface texture that develops frictional interaction with the surrounding soil.

Strap reinforcement resists lateral earth pressure by mobilising pullout resistance along the length embedded beyond the potential failure surface. Capacity is therefore governed by two independent checks: tensile rupture of the strap, assessed against long-term design strength after reduction factors for creep, installation damage and durability; and pullout, assessed from the strap-soil interface friction, the embedded length and the confining stress at that level. Strap grade, length, and horizontal and vertical spacing are selected together against wall height, backfill properties and surcharge, so design is a layout exercise as much as a strength selection.

Principal applications are reinforced soil and MSE retaining walls, shored MSE walls supporting deep excavations, bridge abutment support systems and industrial platform foundations, across roads and highways, railways, mining and property development. TechStrap is available from 30 to 135 kN and is used with precast concrete panel, segmental block and welded wire mesh facings; on panel-faced walls the connection is made through purpose-designed panel connectors. The same strap technology forms the longitudinal elements of TechLink strip-bonded geogrids, so the two products share polyester yarn and sheath characteristics and are frequently specified on the same project, straps for the wall and grid for basal reinforcement or higher-load layers.

Typical Values for GEOGRIDS INTERLAYERS

Tensile Strength
30 – 135 kN
Core / Sheath
PET / LLDPE
Design Life
120 years

Properties & Dimensions

GradeTest MethodUltimate Tensile Strength, kN
TechStrap 30ISO 10319 / ASTM D 663730
TechStrap 40ISO 10319 / ASTM D 663740
TechStrap 50ISO 10319 / ASTM D 663750
TechStrap 100ISO 10319 / ASTM D 6637100
TechStrap 120ISO 10319 / ASTM D 6637120
TechStrap 135ISO 10319 / ASTM D 6637135
Download Full Technical Datasheet for Polymeric Geostrips (PDF)

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HDPE GeomembranesLLDPE GeomembranesPVC GeomembranesEPDM GeomembranesPP Geomembranes

Three Questions To Ask Before You Order

1.How do I choose between polymeric geostrips and geogrid reinforcement?
A: The choice is usually driven by the facing system and the shape of the reinforcement demand rather than by strength alone. Geostrips are discrete linear elements connected individually to the facing, which suits precast concrete panel walls where each panel needs reinforcement attached at defined points with a calculable capacity per connection. Because grade, length and horizontal spacing are all independent variables, a strap layout can follow the demand profile up a wall closely — heavier grades or tighter spacing in the lower layers where lateral earth pressure is greatest, lighter provision above. Sheet reinforcement forces you to step through discrete strengths, which usually means over-providing somewhere. Geogrids reinforce across a continuous plane and are generally preferred for wrap-around and block-faced walls, for steepened slopes, and for basal reinforcement where a continuous tensile membrane beneath an embankment is the mechanism being relied on. Continuity also matters where reinforcement must span a void or distribute load between discrete support elements, since a strap layout leaves unreinforced ground between straps. Where required capacity exceeds what a strap layout can economically deliver, strip-bonded geogrids continue the same polyester tendon and polyethylene sheath technology into much higher strengths. Straps and grid are frequently specified on the same project.
2.Q: Why does pullout often govern strap design rather than tensile strength?
A: A strap resists load through two independent mechanisms, and design must satisfy both. Tensile rupture is checked against long-term design strength — the characteristic short-term strength divided by reduction factors for creep, installation damage and durability, following ISO/TR 20432 and the codes that adopt it. Pullout is checked against the resistance mobilised along the strap length embedded beyond the potential failure surface. That resistance depends on the interface friction between the polyethylene sheath and the fill, the embedded length, and the confining stress at that level. Confining stress is proportional to depth, so in the upper layers of a wall it is low while the strap still has to develop enough anchorage to carry its share of load. This is why pullout commonly governs near the top of a structure and rupture near the bottom, and why upper-layer straps are often longer than strength alone would require. The commercial consequence is direct: strap length sets the width of the reinforced block, which sets the excavation and the land take of the structure. On constrained sites, interface performance rather than tendon strength is what determines whether a reinforced soil solution fits at all. Interface coefficients should always be taken from testing on the actual product against a representative fill, not assumed.
3.Q: What backfill and site conditions do geostrips need?
A: Reinforcement performance depends as much on the fill as on the product. Granular, free-draining backfill within the grading and plasticity limits of the governing code is the assumption behind published interface and installation damage values. Fine-grained or plastic fills reduce interface friction and complicate drainage, and generally fall outside standard MSE design guidance. Particle size and angularity drive installation damage. Large angular aggregate causes measurably more damage than sands and rounded gravels, and the reduction factor applied in design should match the fill actually being used — a factor derived on sand does not apply to a 150 mm crushed rock fill. Fill chemistry matters over the design life. Published durability factors for polyester reinforcement assume a pH range typical of civil engineering fills, usually pH 5 to 9 at normal service temperatures. Fills outside that range — certain industrial byproducts, some mine wastes, lime or cement-treated material — need factors reassessed, and elevated ground temperatures shorten the effective design life at any given factor. Practically: specify backfill against the design code, test it before it arrives on site rather than after, and confirm that the reduction factors in the design match the fill and the compaction plant actually being used. Send us your backfill grading and chemistry with your wall geometry and we will confirm grade, length and spacing against it.

Specification For The Design, Installation Of Polymeric Geostrips

Set panels and connect - Place the facing units to line and level on the levelling pad, brace to the specified batter, and connect each strap to its panel at the designed position. Mark the required strap length per the drawings and fix rear anchorage where the design calls for it. Connection capacity frequently governs on panel-faced walls, so connections are installed and inspected individually rather than assumed.

Lay straps and place fill - Lay straps flat and taut on the compacted lift, perpendicular to the facing, at the horizontal spacing shown on the drawings. Place fill by end-tipping onto material already placed and spreading forward over the straps, never tipping directly onto them. Keep plant off uncovered straps and compact in lifts to the specified density, working parallel to the facing and using lighter equipment within the zone immediately behind the panels.

Repeat and record - Repeat the cycle of backfilling, compacting, laying straps and setting the next panel course until design height, then cast the coping beam or complete the specified top detail. Record grade, length, layer level, spacing and date for each layer placed, along with any damage and its remediation. These records form the acceptance documentation and are routinely requested at handover.

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