Validating the Underlying Properties Driving the Applications of Geosynthetics as a Sustainable Ground Improvement Material: A Delphi Study from Ghana

Abstract

While the comparative factors informing the choice of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material over traditional alternatives are known, little is known, if any, of country-specific studies that have validated the underlying properties driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material. This Delphi study sought to ascertain whether the underlying properties driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material in other national contexts do drive their applications in Ghana and determine the relative influence of each of the underlying properties. Nineteen (19) properties were found to be driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material in Ghana with varying relative influence. They included stiffness properties, chemical degradation resistance, and hydraulic properties. Chemical degradation resistance with an RSI score of (0.83) ranked 1st among the (19) underlying properties driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material in Ghana while hydraulic properties with an RSI of (0.68) ranked 19th. The findings of this study contribute to country-specific literature on the underlying properties driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material. Practically, the study unravelled the (19) underlying properties driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material in Ghana with chemical degradation resistance being the most influential property. The uniqueness of the study also lies within the application of the Delphi technique in the study of the underlying properties driving the applications of geosynthetics as a sustainable ground improvement material.