and geotechnical engineering applications including roads , airfields , railroads , embankments , retaining structures , reservoirs , canals , dams , bank protection and coastal engineering . Contents [ hide ] 1 History 2 Types 2.1 Geotextiles 2.2 Geogrids and geonets 2.3 Geomembranes 2.4 Geocomposites 3 Applications 4 Disadvantages 5 See