The long-term stress-strain relationship, or structural response, of polymeric materials used for soil reinforcement is the single most important property needed for design. Polymers are viscoelastic materials and therefore do not have a single characteristic modulus. The structural response of a polymer ranges b tween elastic and viscous behavior and depends on its molecular structure and orientation, the magnitude and duration of applied stress or strain, and the ambient temperature. Therefore the modulus available under one set of conditions may not be available under a different set of conditions. This is important to the design engineer from the standpoint of both the temperature of the application (e.g., landfills) and the duration of the applied stress or strain (soil reinforcement in general). The purpose of this paper is to describe the relationships between structure and response so that the predictability of a polymer’s response and the resulting limitations in its application can be understood.
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