Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is critical to geosynthetic resins. It causes polymer bond breakage leading to loss of all properties including discoloration, tensile strength and tensile elongation. This paper presents the test results of outdoor weathering of a high strength woven polyester reinforcement geotextile at site locations in Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand. The onsite exposed samples are tested for loss in tensile strength and elongation over time and compared with results of accelerated UV lab tests. The standard accelerated UV lab tests for geotextiles include the Xenon Arc Test according to ASTM D4355 and the QUV Test according to EN 12224. These results help establish some form of correlation between standard accelerated UV lab tests and onsite UV degradation of high strength woven polyester reinforcement geotextiles in New Zealand.
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