Soil Reinforcement

The North American Geosynthetics Society and Geosynthetic Materials Association will deliver a 1.5-day (9-PDH) course on geosynthetic reinforcement in transportation applications August 11 and 12 in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The course examines the use of geotextiles and geogrids as soil reinforcement (e.g., embankments over soft foundations, geosynthetic-reinforced MSE walls, reinforced soil slopes, and reinforced load transfer platforms). Instructors: Robert M. Koerner and L. David Suits. Learn more here.;

The cover story for the June 2011 issue of Arab Construction World comes from Geosynthetica's Chris Kelsey. "Greener Infrastructures with Geosynthetics" looks at gas barrier improvements with EVOH layer incorporation and growth and opportunities in the region. Companies of note in the article include Leister Process Technologies, Kuraray, Raven Industries, I-CORP International, Sika, Mattex and BMC. Download the issue in PDF here.

The American Public Works Association (APWA) has confirmed that Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), will be on hand to participate in the 2011 Sustainability in Public Works Conference. The event takes place 27-29 June 2011 in Portland, Oregon. Learn more here.;

The latest newsletter from Australia-based Global Synthetics includes multiple perspectives on the Utah Point Berth Project (UPBP) at Port Hedland in Western Australia. That bulk export facility is being developed to support (largely) the region's mining industries. Constructing the facility has required stabilizing roads over soft soils, securing stormwater containment zones, slope erosion control, and more. Read about that project and more here (PDF).

The 2011 Public Works Manual from PW Magazine includes an article from Laurie Honnigford, executive director of the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC). Writing for the manual's web edition, Honnigford outlines the Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program from ECTC--a program which takes a scientific view towards providing confidence in erosion control material selection. Read "Seal of Approval" online. Learn more here.;

Since IAGI's founding in 1996 the association has established and operated programs that have recognized outstanding achievements in installation. During the Geo-Frontiers 2011 conference, the International Association of Geosynthetic Installers (IAGI) announced the winners of IAGI's first Installation Awards of Excellence competition. Three awards were given: Extreme Project Award, Innovative Project Award and the Award of Excellence. Brian McKeown, IAGI President, presented the awards during a ceremony honoring the winners.

APWA's Sustainability in Public Works Conference offers a meeting place for professionals in both the public and private sectors for the sharing of innovative ideas in sustainability. With the industry's newest processes and technologies available at this event, attending can prove to be a truly important investment in your community's (or business's) future. The event takes place 27-29 June 2011 in Portland, Oregon. Read more from APWA (PDF).

The American Public Works Association (APWA) launched a revamped website. This includes a new page for its Center for Sustainability. Learn more here.;

Due to popular demand, the early-bird deadline for the GeoRisk 2011 Conference has been extended to June 8. The event will offer 115 technical presentations including characterization and modeling of soils and uncertainty modeling; earthquake engineering; engineering geology and site characterization; LRFD for foundation systems; and retaining structures. Register now and join your colleagues in Atlanta June 26-28. Learn more here.;

Dr. George Koerner, Director Designate of the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), has announced that the GSI Board of Directors has selected TRI Environmental as its official support laboratory for the Geosynthetic Accreditation Institute - Laboratory Accreditation Program (GAI-LAP). Since its creation in 1995, GAI-LAP has grown steadily to include 19 independent, 26 manufacturing quality control, and 4 research/governmental laboratories. Each lab participates in annual proficiency testing and quinquennial on-site audits. Learn more.

Geosynthetics Middle East 2011 will take place under the patronage of Abu Dhabi Municipality 25-26 October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Key themes include transportation, environmental and water applications, polymeric product development, design and installation, testing and cqa, and standards and regulations. Abstract submissions for consideration are due by 16 June 2011.

The latest newsletter from the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA) is available. The May 2011 issue features an article on a new combination drainage and soil reinforcement geosynthetic, the "Prez Sez" column, upcoming GIGSA and geosynthetics-related events, express railway track maintenance, the submission call for the biennial GIGSA awards, a new government specification for pipes, and more.

TenCate revisits a Raleigh, North Carolina project site to inspect the integrity of a flexible pavement installation from January 2003, and to observe how another site that did not use geosynthetics has held up. The results present a dramatic contrast and show the longevity and reduced costs/maintenance presented by geosynthetics.

Demand for geosynthetics in the US is expected to increase 7.7 percent annually to $2.9 billion in 2015. This rate is an acceleration over the gains posted from 2005 to 2010 given that sales of certain types of geosynthetics were sharply restrained during the recession that occurred in the latter half of that period. Funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, however, helped mitigate the recessionary effects and spurred sales in 2010.

All flood threat is not over in Vicksburg, Mississippi; but the Mississippi River has crested, engineers believe, at 14.1 ft above flood stage level. Moving at 13 mph (normal rate, 5 mph) and carrying 17 million gallons of water per second, the potential flood damage could have been enormous. Round-the-clock maintenance and monitoring of levee defenses seems likely, though, as high water levels may linger until mid-June. Learn more here.;

APWA's Sustainability in Public Works Conference offers a meeting place for professionals in both the public and private sectors for the sharing of innovative ideas in sustainability. With the industry's newest processes and technologies available at this event, attending can prove to be a truly important investment in your community's (or business's) future. The event takes place 27-29 June 2011 in Portland, Oregon. A discounted registration rate is available through May 27. Learn more here.;

The country's deteriorating transportation infrastructure increasingly puts it at a disadvantage in the global marketplace, a study by the Urban Land Institute found. America is falling far behind Brazil, China and India, the institute concluded.

The Applied Technology Council (ATC) and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are teaming up to present the Advances in Hurricane Engineering Conference in Miami, October 24-26, 2012. This is the second joint conference of these two organizations in a growing partnership to benefit the engineering community regarding natural hazard issues. A Call for Papers has been issued. Abstracts due by September 9. Learn more here.;

The floods affecting American waterways in 2011 have been, for many communities, historic, as have the engineering solutions being utilized. American Environmental Group, Ltd. (AEGL) has been part of a first-of-its-kind emergency levee protection effort in Mississippi that has used impermeable geomembrane liner to help secure the backside of the Yazoo River Backwater Levee. This emergency strategy, directed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is designed to prevent catastrophic erosion and failure of the levee in the event the flood water overtopped the levee.

Dorset Street West was an aging roadway in a beautiful historic neighborhood in Port Hope, Ontario that desperately needed rebuilding. The most severe area was a long section of roadway embankment that was supported by a deteriorating retaining wall on a steep side slope. In an OPWA-winning design, StrataWall met the challenge of a 36-ft-high wall that was nearly vertical.

In an entry on the Wall Street Journal's Emerging Europe blog, Ayla Albayrak writes about the proposed "quake-proof" cities near Istanbul, Turkey. Prime Minister Erdogan announced this idea as part of his re-election bid. He proposes to build earthquake-resistant infrastructures for two major urban centers off of one of Europe's most populous cities, with half of the development along the European side of the Bosporus and the other half on the Asian side. Learn more here.;

"They figured they only had about 75 hours," USACE's John Neville writes. He was referring to the window of time before the city of Smithland, Kentucky might be flooded. The US Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District office joined this flood fight in late April, taking on a scale of flooding that hadn't been experienced in nearly 75 years in some parts of the region. For Smithland, the Corps used a new flood wall strategy: Defencell.

Crane Materials International (CMI), a leader in manufacturing innovative synthetic sheet piling products, has just announced the release of its patented FlatPanel™ 475 profile. CMI's new flat-front sheet pile profile brings much needed modern and sustainable design elements while delivering more strength and versatility than market alternatives. It can be used in conjunction with geogrid-reinforced walls.

Flooding from the overflowing Mississippi River is causing some states and the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider their flood control strategies. Some suggested options include turning tracts of land into natural wetlands to absorb the flooding, training farmers to shift to practices that avoid contributing to flooding and runoff, and moving away from building levees, dams and spillways and focusing on diverting flood waters away from agricultural land and densely populated areas. Learn more here.;

This project represents the largest ever emergency installation of a Defencell Flood Wall system in the United States. The Defencell Flood Wall is a geotextile-based system, originally developed for ballistic defenses in military operations, and can be quickly constructed utilizing local fill, sand, or other common aggregates. Within 24 hours of receiving a call from the USACE, Fiberweb delivered three miles worth of Defencell Flood Wall units that, once installed, would provide almost four feet of additional flood protection height to a key stretch of the levee in Smithland, Kentucky.