Soil Reinforcement

Geofabrics Australasia Pty. Ltd. (www.geofabrics.com.au), an Australia-focused geosynthetics manufacturer and service provider, has announced the hiring of industry veteran Dr. Richard Austin as the company's new National Technical Manager. With 20+ years of experience in the geosynthetics field, Richard brings considerable expertise and international insight to Geofabrics. Through his previous key positions with geosynthetics manufacturers and system providers in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong Richard has developed a strong reputation in the industry, particularly in the utilization of soil reinforcement technologies, for subgrade and slope stabilisation and the construction of mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) walls.

Royal Ten Cate has released an update regarding its first quarter 2010 performance. Of particular interest is the notes on the American geosynthetics market's "substantial recovery"; an upturn in the infrastructure market; and "strong developments in TenCate Geotube® applications." Read more in the release.

Presto Geosystems® has launched a new website (www.prestogeo.com) with a large range of construction resources for its soil stabilization and stormwater products. Much like the company’s successful international app...

In Italy, expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks--also known as geofoam--have been used in some of the newest "eco" architecture. Take for example architect Giulio Ceppi's design for Autogrill near Ravenna, Italy. The strucutre uses geofoam blocks have been built up to create an insulating layer upon which soil and ivy has been placed to create a green roof. Learn more here.;

The 3rd Annual Municipal Wet Weather Stormwater Conference will be held 16 – 18 May 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. The event, organized by the International Erosion Control Association (IECA)...

The geotechnical engineering professional development website Geo-U (www.geo-u.com) has added two presentations from Drs. JP Giroud and Jie Han to its roster of high-quality, on-demand education. A third presentation...

Contractors are breaking ground on the long-awaited fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, a three-year project to relieve traffic congestion in the Oakland, California area. After multiple small tunnel stretches are excavated and reinforced, crews will finish the walls and ceiling by installing a geosynthetic liner to capture drainage water and then add a thick concrete layer reinforced with rebar. Learn more here.;

Fifteen years ago, Geosynthetica launched and became the first online publication dedicated to geosynthetics. Today, the English-language site has more than 800,000 annual users around the world. To better...

terrafix® Biaxial Geogrids provide a simple, cost effective solution for soil reinforcement and improvement of roadways, highways and other heavily trafficked areas. Even when conditions are less than perfect, including weak subgrades, contaminated soils, heavy loads, high granular costs and shallow-buried utilities, an engineered solution is possible. Learn more. Learn more here.;

In addition to its large geosynthetics supply and installation business, Titan Environmental Containment has a well-established construction side. The company’s construction experience led it to build one...

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has revised D5261, "Standard Test Method for Measuring Mass per Unit Area of Geotextiles," as D5261-10. This test method is used to determine if the geotextile material meets specifications for mass per unit area. This test method can be used for quality control to determine specimen conformance. This measurement allows for a simple control of the delivered material by a comparison of the mass per unit area of the delivered material and the specified mass per unit area. Learn more here.;

GeoAmericas 2020 will be the 4th Pan-American Regional Conference on Geosynthetics. With COVID-19 concerns impacting travel around the world, large and small events alike have rescheduled to protect their participants...

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.

With multiple stories published per week throughout the year, a biweekly newsletter, numerous international event partners, and a strong presence in social media, Geosynthetica covers much of the world's...

Checkmate Geosynthetics Ltd., a global manufacturer and supplier of geosynthetic soil reinforcement and stabilization solutions, has announced the appointment of Jim Penman as the company's Vice President of Sales USA. In his new role, Atlanta-based Penman will be responsible for Checkmate's full-range of geosynthetic system products within the US market. Penman is a 17-year veteran of the geosynthetics field and serves as a geosynthetics expert for the American Railroad Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA).

Dundee Township, Michigan officials will meet tonight, February 12, to discuss road improvement plans. Among the city's interests: whether road fabrics or geotextile separators might help improve both road performance and long-term maintenance costs. Learn more here.;

Last month, one of Brazil's geosynthetics pioneers passed away. Professor Benedito de Souza Bueno, who led the International Geosynthetics Society’s Brazilian Chapter (IGS Brasil) from 2003 to 2007, passed...

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has regulatory authority over more than 31,000 facilities across the state, all of which may now be readily identified on an interactive Web-based map. ADEQ launched its easy-to-use interactive map viewer, known as "EnviroView," earlier this month. The feature is available to the public and is accessible from the department's Web site, www.adeq.state.ar.us.

On Sunday, GSE Environmental filed paperwork for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in North America. The news was first reported by Reuters. The voluntary petition was made in United States...

The 5th European Conference on Geosynthetics (EuroGeo 5) will be held 16-19 September 2012 in Valencia, Spain. The Spanish Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) will organize it, and the event will be held under the auspices of the IGS. Authors interested in presenting a paper at the Conference must provide an abstract before 30 November 2011, addressed to the Conference Secretariat, through the Conference website. Abstracts received by fax or mail will not be considered. Abstracts must be written in either English or Spanish. View the event brochure.

Artek Surfin Chemicals Ltd. and Aterian Investment Partners are pleased to announce that they have jointly purchased the PVC additives business of Chemtura Corporation, newly named Galata Chemicals. Galata Chemicals is a leading global producer of additives for numerous PVC and other polymer applications. The expansive product portfolio includes heat stabilizers, plasticizers and impact modifiers. Learn more here.;

We return to the story of Lake Delton, Wisconsin today, where water is about to begin refilling the lake. A June 2008 storm destroyed five homes and washed the lake down a channel and into the Wisconsin River. We reported on this village's flood response need in early August when Propex Inc. gifted the village $100,000 worth of erosion control products to help with some key projects. Propex's ArmorMax system was offered for use on steep slopes, having already proven itself in New Orleans' infrastructure repair. Congratulations are due to the residents of Lake Delton on getting their community back up and so quickly. Learn more here.;

While those levees don't necessarily protect all the people living in the 881 counties that have them, a study for Levees.org by geographer Ezra Boyd concludes that the levees more than pay for themselves when their cost is compared to the investment they protect. Counties with levees account for only 28 percent of the nation's counties and only 37 percent of the nation's land area. But they contain 55 percent of the nation's population, more than 156 million people, according to the study. Learn more here.;

The International Geosynthetics Society has two exceptional, standalone events being held back-to-back in Munich. The June workshops kick off with the 1st GeoReinforcement Workshop, June 4 - 5. Then, on June...

American Chronicle has published an article on textile history. The short but wide-ranging piece touches upon terminology, antiquity, applications, and plant, animal and mineral textiles. It also includes a couple nods to geotextiles for industrial applications and embankment reinforcement. Learn more here.;