Soil Reinforcement

The influential American transportation organization, AASHTO, has developed a list of the top ten transportation topics that it forecasts will be part of the national conversation in 2010. Constructing safer roads, securing funding, and capacity management are just some of the issues. Read the full list in AASHTO's release.

The International Symposium on Geotechnical Engineering, Ground Improvement, and Geosynthetics for Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change including Global Warming was successfully held 3-4 December 2009 Bangkok, Thailand. The event included 150 speakers, more than 400 pages of proceedings, and attendees and exhibitors from around the world. Dennes Bergado, the conference chair and president of IGS Thailand, has authored a short write up.

The Munich-based chemical company WACKER is strengthening its presence in India by opening a technical center in Mumbai. The facility will serve as a regional competence center for developments and applications in the construction, coatings, plastics and textile coatings industry, the main focus being on construction polymers, silicone emulsions, sealants, silanes and silicone resins. The new technical center will enable WACKER to tap the fast-growing markets in this part of the world. The investment is aimed at providing local support to customers for developing new and customized products while promoting internationally recognized quality standards in India. In 2008, WACKER generated annual sales of nearly €50 million with more than 140 employees in India.

IFAI Expo Asia 2011 will be held 22-25 March 2011 at the new Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Exhibition Centre in Singapore, and is being organized to serve the rapidly growing specialty fabrics marketplace in the Asia-Pacific region. There is a tremendous output and consumption of specialty fabrics in the Asia-Pacific region. The current trade shows in India and China focus almost exclusively on the disposable nonwoven industry. IFAI Expo Asia 2011 will now become the first major event in the region that specifically targets as visitors the end-product fabricators who use all types of materials--woven, nonwoven, knit and composite textiles.

Dennes Bergado writes on the forthcoming symposium "Geotechnical Engineering, Ground Improvement and Geosynthetics for Sustainable Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change including Global Warming." A list of speakers has been released and is contained in Dr. Bergado's write up. Of note, more than 30 technical speakers will be part of the event. They are coming to the conference from more than 15 countries. Also, a comprehensive technical exhibition will accompany the discussions. The symposium takes place 2-3 December 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Dr. Ian D. Peggs, P.E., P.Eng., has authored an introduction to ISO/TS 13434, "Geosynthetics: Guidelines for the Assessment of Durability." We publish here the sections on historical development, geotextiles, geosynthetic barriers and geogrids. For online readability, we've broken the sections into four pages, but all references have been repeated on each page for convenience of use. Links to the subsequent sections on geotextiles, geosynthetic barriers and geogrids can be found at the end of each part under "Related Sections." Begin here with the section on "Historical Development."

The latest conference update from the Asia Mining Congress 2009 is available. The current issue includes information on the latest speakers from mining, manufacturing, governments, and investment groups; workshops; sponsors; and the most current event brochure. The conference will be held 23-27 March 2009, Singapore. Read the newsletter online. Learn more here.;

The latest conference update from the Asia Mining Congress (23-27 March 2009, Singapore) is available. The current issue includes information on the latest speakers from mining, manufacturing, governments, and investment groups; workshops; sponsors; and the most current event brochure. Read the newsletter online. Learn more here.;

The Asia Mining Congress 2009 is offering a complimentary seat at the congress's Sustainability Awards dinner with all registrations placed through 11 November 2008. This critical mining conference--the fifth in the series--will feature more than 100 speakers. It takes place in Singapore from 23-27 March 2009. Learn more here.;

The second installment in our "Catching Up With..." series visits with Professor Han-Yong Jeon of INHA Unversity GeoSynthetics Research Lab (GSRL). Korea is a growing market for geosynthetics use in construction and for exports. The topics being pursued at GSRL reflect the interests of the overall Korean industry.

Embankment reinforcement along a river and bridge abutment strengthening was required for a new carriageway in Bridgwater, Somerset, United Kingdom. The project team used a load transfer platform design...

The flood disaster of 1997 made a deep impression on many Germans. The Oder and Morava river basins flooded, and the waters spread through regions of the Czech Republic,...

The International Geosynthetics Society's Technical Committees on Soil Reinforcement (TC-R) and Barrier Systems (TC-B) will gather IGS members and affiliated geotechnical professionals in Barcelona 20 – 23 January 2020...

Testing plays a vital role in the design and performance of transportation projects. Testing and monitoring improve infrastructure by providing valuable data before and after construction, allowing the designer...

Geosynthetic reinforced soil structures (GRSS) have had a highly beneficial impact on infrastructure throughout the world. GRSS strategies, materials, and designs enable more sustainable projects, steeper slopes, safer retaining...

During GeoAmericas 2016, K. Lin, A. Tang, and J. Wu detailed some ongoing exposure testing with geosynthetics in Taiwan. The results were somewhat unique in the field, due to...

Prajwol Tamrakar, Mark H. Wayne, and David J. White present field tests and results with Automated Plate Load Testing (APLT) to determine the permanent and resilient deformation behavior of...

The 2013 Geo-Congress from ASCE's Geo-Institute be held 3-7 March 2013 in San Diego, California. The broad theme of the 2013 Geo-Congress has been announced as the "Stability and Performance of Slopes and Embankments," a theme that encompasses all aspects of the geo-profession--and one that certainly utilizes geosynthetics. Learn more about the conference and submit your abstract by 17 April 2012. Learn more here.;

The Geo-Institute of ASCE's annual congress offers an exceptional opportunity to interact with the international geotechnical engineering community on some of the most pressing topics. Geo-Congress 2012 will be held in Oakland, California 25-29 March 2012. The theme of the event is "State of the Art and Practice in Geotechnical Engineering" and some noted engineers with a geosynthetics background (Craig Benson and David Daniel) will deliver two of the three big lectures: the Ralph B. Peck and Karl Terzaghi Lectures.

The annual geo-congress of the Geo-Institute of ASCE is being held in West Palm Beach, Florida right now. This is an almost unfairly convenient location for Geosynthetica, as we are headquartered in West Palm Beach (about 1 mile from the conference site). Last night, the exhibit hall opened with a reception for GeoFlorida attendees. Elizabeth Peggs has posted some photos from the exhibit hall opening.

GeoFlorida 2010, the annual geo-congress of the Geo-Institute of ASCE, will be held 20-24 February 2010 and will present a broad perspective on new developments in geotechnical engineering analysis, modeling and design. Technical topics will crosscut all areas of the profession, such as stability analysis, geoenvironmental engineering, and case histories. The deadline for abstracts has been extended to 24 April 2009. Download the Call for Papers in PDF.

While bridge and pavement conditions receive much of the media attention and legislative directives for transportation agencies, the value and performance of other assets are also important to the...

Composite reinforcement systems that combine geosynthetics with different facing systems and supports (steel mesh, soil anchors, etc.) have grown substantially in use. These systems enable very efficient construction of...

GeoU 2022 combines expert geosynthetics instruction with exceptional networking. This in-person engineering professional development event will take place 5 - 8 April 2022 at the Sonesta Bee Cave Austin...

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Rajib Mallick of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) who was about to deliver multiple papers at the annual TRB...