Sealing performance of linear low-density polyethylene using stitching and heat-sealing method for non-dewatering geotube structure

Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) is a form of blended Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) with numerous short side chains. LLDPE has gradually gained popularity in recent decades, and its demand has increased, especially in the packaging and construction industries due to its lower manufacturing cost. This fabrication process of geotube containers using this material is investigated. This paper reports the comparison result of sealing performance between stitching and heat-sealing method for the fabrication process of geotube containers. Two types of LLDPE bags with different fabrication methods (stitching and heat-sealing) were prepared for the test. Once the bag was filled with water, it was left in an open space. The weight of the bag was measured for 60 days at different intervals (days and weeks). Results show that there was a decrease in LLDPE bag using stitching method from 1.4 kg to 1.32 kg for 3 days whereas the LLDPE bag using heat-sealing method did not show any weight changes and remained 1.42 kg for 60 days the data were taken. From the observation, it can be concluded that the fabrication process of using the heat-sealing method will not degrade the weight of the bag and has high potential to be applied in the fabrication process of geotube using the LLDPE material.