TenCate Geosynthetics announced that the TenCate Miragrid® XT geogrid product line has completed the first ever evaluation by the National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) which incorporated an onsite audit of the manufacturing facility.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in conjunction with NTPEP have developed a process for the evaluation of production data and field performance data for reinforcement geosynthetics. The data generated by NTPEP is valuable for State DOT’s and other regulatory agencies to develop and maintain Qualified Products Listings (QPL). As of 2011, an audit phase has been added to the evaluation process in order to verify the consistency of the geosynthetic reinforcement in accordance with the REGEO work plan.
“We are very proud of our manufacturing process and procedures,” stated John Lostumbo, PE, Market Manager for Engineered Structures. “The Project Work Plan developed by NTPEP, which now incorporates an on-site audit process, is among the most stringent review processes available for geosynthetic reinforcement materials. We are excited to be the first geosynthetic producer to complete this evaluation process.”
The evaluation is performed in accordance with WSDOT Standard Practice T925 to determine the long-term strength of the geosynthetic reinforcement, including the long-term strength reduction factors. Detailed evaluations are performed on creep, installation damage, and durability to determine the appropriate reduction factors.
Additional conformance testing is performed to provide additional verification of these reduction factors. According to the report from NTPEP, “An on-site audit to verify the consistency of the TenCate Miragrid® XT product line was conducted at TenCate’s manufacturing plant on June 8, 2011, in accordance with the REGEO work plan. The audit verified that the materials and processing used to manufacture each product in the line are consistent and meet the definition of a product line in the NTPEP work plan and WSDOT T925.”
ABOUT TENCATE
TenCate Geosynthetics develops solutions and systems for transportation infrastructure, water management & cleaning, and environmental applications, delivered through synthetic woven, nonwoven, and knitted products. TenCate Geosynthetics has factories in North America, Europe and Asia. Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) is a multinational company which combines textile technology with related chemical processes and material technology in the development and production of functional materials with distinctive characteristics. Products of TenCate are sold worldwide.
Systems and materials from TenCate come under four areas of application: safety & protection, space & aerospace, infrastructure & the environment, and sport & recreation. TenCate occupies leading positions in protective fabrics, composites for space and aerospace, antiballistics, geosynthetics and synthetic turf. TenCate is listed on the NYSE Euronext (AMX).
