Case Study: Warehouse Construction in Baran, Rajasthan – Use of Ocean Non-Woven Geotextile 1.5MM

For a large warehouse in Baran, Rajasthan, Ocean Non Wovens supplied and installed 10,000 square meters of Ocean Non-Woven Geotextile 1.5MM beneath the floor and foundation layers, to separate the subgrade from the granular base and keep the base drained.

Why a warehouse floor needs ground treatment

A warehouse floor carries racking loads, stacked goods and constant forklift and truck traffic. If the subgrade beneath it softens or the base course mixes with soil, the floor settles unevenly and cracks, and racking goes out of plumb. Geosynthetics, particularly non-woven geotextiles, are used beneath floors and yards to stop that happening.

What the geotextile does

• Separation: the geotextile sits between the subgrade and the granular base and stops them mixing, so the base keeps its full thickness and strength.
• Filtration: water passes through while fine soil particles are held back, so the base does not clog with fines.
• Drainage: a needle-punched non-woven also carries some water along its own plane, which helps relieve water pressure at the subgrade surface.
• Stabilisation: by keeping the layers separate and the subgrade drained, the geotextile helps the floor build-up carry heavy equipment and goods. Where real tensile reinforcement is needed on very weak ground, a geogrid is normally added; a non-woven provides limited reinforcement on its own.

Project overview: warehouse construction in Baran, Rajasthan

Baran lies in the Hadoti region of south-eastern Rajasthan, a largely agricultural district where expansive black cotton soils are common. The warehouse needed soil stabilisation because of the area’s variable soil conditions, which could otherwise shorten the life of the structure.

Ocean Non Wovens supplied 10,000 square meters of Ocean Non-Woven Geotextile 1.5MM to strengthen the warehouse foundation. It was selected for separation, filtration and stabilisation under the weight of stored goods and machinery.

Ocean Non-Woven Geotextile 1.5MM

The 1.5MM refers to the fabric’s thickness. Key properties:

• Tensile strength: resists tearing and installation damage under the weight of fill and construction traffic.
• Permeability: lets water pass through, so it does not build up beneath the floor.
• Durability: resistant to biological degradation and to the chemicals normally present in soil.
• Easy installation: light rolls that are quick to transport and lay, which saves labour and time.

Installation

The 10,000 square meters of geotextile was installed without holding up the construction schedule. It was laid directly over the prepared subgrade, separating the soil from the foundation materials above.

General good practice for this kind of installation: the subgrade is trimmed and cleared of sharp stones and roots, rolls are laid flat and taut without wrinkles, adjacent rolls overlap (typically 300 mm or more, more on soft ground), and the first layer of fill is spread forward over the fabric rather than tipped onto it, with no vehicles running directly on the geotextile.

Placed correctly, the geotextile contributed to:

• Better load distribution: the floor can carry machinery and stored goods without differential settlement.
• Less soil movement: fine soil particles stay in place, protecting the integrity of the foundation.
• Drainage: water passes through the geotextile instead of collecting beneath the floor, reducing the risk of future repairs.

Long-term benefits

Lower environmental impact

A floor that does not need repeated repair consumes fewer materials over the building’s life, and a longer-lasting structure delays the need for new construction.

Cost over time

The geotextile adds a modest cost at construction. Repairing a settled warehouse floor, by contrast, means breaking out slabs and interrupting operations, so preventing settlement is usually the cheaper option.

Smoother operations

Level floors let forklifts, goods and workers move efficiently and keep racking stable, protecting stored goods from damage caused by uneven settlement or cracks.

About Ocean Non Wovens

Ocean Non Wovens supplied the geotextile that provided separation, drainage and stabilisation for the Baran warehouse foundation. It supplies geosynthetics for warehouses, roads and other infrastructure projects. Contact the team to discuss a project or see more case studies.