Analytical Investigation of the Degradation of Geotextile Fabrics Under Simulated Field Conditions in Northern Nigerian Road Construction Projects

Geotextile fabrics installed in road construction projects in Northern Nigeria are subjected to combined exposure to ultraviolet radiation, mechanical loading, chemical soil environments, and biological activity that together determine service life and performance retention. This study analytically investigates the degradation of polypropylene and polyester woven and nonwoven geotextiles under simulated field conditions representative of road construction environments in Kano and Kaduna states, North West Nigeria. Geotextile specimens were exposed to accelerated UV weathering in a xenon arc chamber, buried in laterite soil characteristic of the study region for 6, 12, and 24 months, and subjected to synthetic leachate immersion representing road construction drainage chemistry. Degradation was assessed through tensile strength retention, elongation retention, puncture resistance, and oxidation induction time by differential scanning calorimetry. Scanning electron microscopy examined surface fibre degradation and crack initiation features. Results demonstrate that UV exposure caused greater strength reduction than soil burial, with polypropylene nonwovens losing 38 percent of tensile strength after 1000 hours of xenon weathering compared to 12 percent from 24-month soil burial. Stabilised geotextile grades outperformed unstabilised grades by 28 percent in UV strength retention. Polyester woven geotextiles showed superior UV resistance compared to polypropylene wovens but greater susceptibility to hydrolytic degradation in alkaline soil leachate. Oxidation induction time reduced progressively with UV exposure, serving as a sensitive early indicator of antioxidant depletion. The study recommends UV-stabilised geotextile grades with minimum oxidation induction time of 60 minutes for road construction applications in North West Nigeria and provides service life prediction models for procurement guidance. Keywords: geotextile degradation, UV weathering, road construction, polypropylene, Kano