Soil Reinforcement

Despite the city of Madison's promises to toughen enforcement of construction site erosion laws, few non-compliance notices or fines have been issued this year or last, and residents report numerous sites where brown plumes of silt have sluiced into the city's lakes during rainfalls. Of the city's current 57 construction projects listed on its website, one site that has plagued the city had had the most erosion control devices listed as "ineffective"--and this despite 22 inspections of the site in three weeks. Poor installation and maintenance practices seem to be the culprit, and Madison still allows official inspections to be conducted by employees of contractors; but contractors site heavy rains as the main reason for system failures. Learn more here.;

Penton Media's 2010 Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS), an international forum for the presentation of peer-reviewed applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management, announces the Keynote Speaker for the event 3-6 October 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. The Keynote Presentation will take place Monday, 4 October at 8:30 am and will feature Thomas H. Christensen, Ph.D.; Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark.

To accommodate our continuously expanding operations in Vaughan servicing Ontario and Eastern Canada, Layfield is pleased to announce the opening of its new fabrication and warehousing facility, opened in June 2010. The new facility will offer many benefits, including increased warehousing capacity; easy access to major shipping corridors; new capability to provide quick turnaround fabricated liners with seams up to 250 ft in length; more than 36,000 sq ft of space to stock multiple geosynthetics and other products. Phone contact information remains the same.

GeoAmericas 2012, the second Pan-American Geosynthetics Congress, will be held 1-4 May 2012 at the Libertador Hotel in Lima, Peru. It will be organized by IGS Peru, under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). The congress will highlight the main topics in the geosynthetics industry and applications. Keynote lectures and selected papers will be presented on the main themes: Geosynthetics in Enviromental Applications; Geosynthetics in Dynamic Applications; Geosynthetics in Hydraulic Applications; Geosynthetics in Mining Applications; Geosynthetics in HIghways Applications; Geosynthetics in Sanitary Applications; Case Histories; and New Geosynthetics Products. Learn more.

GeoAmericas 2012, the second Pan-American Geosynthetics Congress, will be held 1-4 May 2012 at the Libertador Hotel in Lima, Peru. It will be organized by IGS Peru, under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS). The congress will highlight the main topics in the geosynthetics industry and applications. Keynote lectures and selected papers will be presented on the main themes: Geosynthetics in Enviromental Applications; Geosynthetics in Dynamic Applications; Geosynthetics in Hydraulic Applications; Geosynthetics in Mining Applications; Geosynthetics in HIghways Applications; Geosynthetics in Sanitary Applications; Case Histories; and New Geosynthetics Products. Stay current with the latest at the event website, www.geoamericas2012.com. Learn more here.;

After more than five months of closure, the Esquimalt Lagoon bridge in Colwood, British Columbia--on Victoria Island--has been repaired. On the north side of the bridge, the asphalt was removed and fill material excavated out. The area was repacked and the sides reinforced with geotextile to prevent fill material from being drawn out. The repair took less than two weeks. Learn more here.;

Tensar International Corporation's innovative TriAx™ geogrid, and the technical developments it represents, has won one of civil engineering's most prestigious awards, from the International Geosynthetics Society. Tim Oliver, Tensar International Vice President Marketing, explains: "The IGS Award is all the more significant because it is presented for achievement in the period since 2005, not just the best in one year. Entry is by invitation following nominations from the industry, so Tensar's TriAx™ has obviously already made a genuine impression on an international stage."

The Army Corps of Engineers is considering a plan to use coal ash to fortify flood-defense barriers along a 200-mile stretch of the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois. Environmentalists say the ash would likely degrade and pollute the water, but the Corps' engineers say the lime-ash mixture under consideration would be a safe and cost-effective way of strengthening the levees. Learn more here.;

Tensar International has released the latest issue of GeoTalk. This issue marks the opening of the corporate publication's 20th volume. The feature stories address how geogrids reduce overexcavation in subgrade reinforcement applications and save cost on aggregate need; an alternative to expensive overlays; the advantages in the new SpectraPave4-PRO™ software; a review of the reinforcement challenge from GeoFlorida 2010; the Triton® Marine Mattresses and Filter Mattresses system aces its "college" test; and more. Read it online today. Learn more here.;

Penton Media's 2010 Global Waste Management Symposium (GWMS), an international forum for the presentation of peer-reviewed applied and fundamental research and case studies on waste management, announces the technical program for the event 3-6 October 2010 at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa. The GWMS will feature 105 educational oral and poster presentations. Conference organizers have now announced the keynote speaker: Thomas H. Christensen, Ph.D., Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark. Learn more.

To aid Nigeria’s drive for sustainable development, CP Fiberglass Limited, a company that specialises in advanced composites including fiberglass-reinforced products, is set to distribute fiberglass geogrids for road reinforcement/road repair systems. The company, which began operations in February 2010, is a subsidiary of UK-based Crestview and Price Ltd. CP Fiberglass is targeting Nigeria's oil and gas and construction sectors, among others. Learn more here.;

Low and Bonar PLC ("Low & Bonar" or "the Group"), the international performance materials group, today announces its half year results for the six months ended 31 May 2010. The company has reported "Strong and broadly based sales growth up 11.7% (14.1% on a constant currency basis)...with an impressive contribution from Colbond." Also, the companies grass yarn facility in Abu Dhabi has entered commercial production.

The July 2010 issue of CE News has been released, and in addition to interesting articles on an engineer's perspective of design-build, an exclusive on the EPA's strengthening of NPDES, and an "Olympic-sized" upgrade to one community's wastewater system, the Progressive Engineering section features an article from Laurie Honnigford of the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC). Honnigford's article, "Opening the QDOR," outlines the Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR™) program from ECTC--a program which takes a scientific view on selecting the best erosion control materials.

The International Association of Hydro-Engineering and Research (IAHR) will hold a workshop on "Geosynthetics and Modern Materials for Coastal Proction and Related Applications" on 6-7 August 2010 at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM). This event is being organized in conjunction with the 9th International Conference on Hydro-Science and Engineering (ICHE 2010). Read more about the presentations.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute is proud to announce that Rob Schweinfurth became the G-I's new director on 1 July 2010. Rob brings more than 29 years of professional experience in several geo-technical disciplines, as well as hydrogeology, environmental geology, water quality, and sustainability. His experience spans a broad organizational spectrum including non-for-profit associations, industry, government agencies, consulting firms, and association volunteer leadership. Rob can be reached at +1 703 295 6015 or rschweinfurth@asce.org.

The July 2010 issue of CE News features an article from Laurie Honnigford of the Erosion Control Technology Council (ECTC). Writing for the magazine's Progressive Engineering section, Honnigford outlines the Quality Data Oversight and Review (QDOR) program from ECTC--a program which takes a scientific view on selecting the best erosion control materails. Read "Opening the QDOR" online. Learn more here.;

ASTM International has relaunched its website with nice new look. One of the most-welcomed additions to the update is a new navigation bar arrangement. With the vast amount of sectors ASTM's consensus-oriented standards committees are involved in--including our favorite, Committee D35 on Geosynthetics--the cleaner navigation tool is welcomed. Also of note, rotating news stories have been added to the front page, the site search tool has been improved, and the "My Committees" page has been streamlined. We encourage our readers to take a spin on the new ASTM website. Read more.

TenCate Geosynthetics has received a US patent for its TenCate Miramesh® SG product. This open woven geosynthetic is designed specifically to be a face wrap material for steepened slope applications, thanks to the combination with synthetic grass fibers. TenCate Miramesh® SG combines the unique properties of TenCate Miramesh® GR biaxial geosynthetic with green synthetic grass fibers to produce a tufted grass face for steepened slopes and wire basket wall applications. This synergistic product eliminates the need for overseeding steep slopes. By also eliminating the need for topsoil infill, it immediately creates a finished fully vegetated wall face. Additionally, the synthetic grass fibers provide an extra layer of UV-protection which doubles its long-term UV-resistance, therefore increasing product stability.

SKZ, with scientific committee support from Cemagref and the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), will host the 3rd International Symposium on Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GBR-C 2k10) 15-16 September 2010 at the Fortress Marienberg in Würzburg, Germany. Technical sessions will address shear and mechanical behaviour of GCLs, chemical resistance of GCLs, testing of GCLs under unsaturated conditions, behaviour of GCLs in landfill covers (case studies), regulations, new concepts and developments in the use of GCLs, and GCLs for hydraulic and construction applications. Visit the conference's website for the latest. Learn more here.;

After more than five months of traffic closure, the Esquimalt Lagoon bridge in Colwood, British Columbia--on Victoria Island--is being repaired. The City has placed timbers at the base of the abutments to protect them from waves. On the north side, a section of the asphalt is being removed and fill material excavated out. That area will then be repacked and the sides reinforced with geotextile to prevent fill material from being drawn out. Learn more here.;

The IGS Award Committee presented HUESKER Synthetic GmbH with the 2010 IGS Award at a special ceremony on 26 May 2010 during the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) in Guaruja, Brazil. The IGS Committee voted unanimously to present the award to HUESKER; the citation recognizes HUESKER for its continued commitment to the development and production of geosynthetic products, often using innovative polymers.

ASTM Interntional Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has established work item WK29397, "Standard Practice for Exposure and Retrieval of Samples to Evaluate Installation Damage of Geosynthetics." It is a work item revision to existing standard D5818-06. After the winter meeting in San Antonio it was voted to make modifications on section 7.1.7 of the standard. This ballot ONLY changes the existing paragraph to a clearer paragraph. Learn more here.;

The Executive Board of Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) has appointed Dave Clarke (52) as new Global Group Director TenCate Advanced Composites, effective 1 January 2011. The Executive Board of Royal Ten Cate has appointed Wally Moore (46), former Group Director TenCate Geosynthetics Europe, as Global Group Director TenCate Geosynthetics, effective since 1 July 2010. Jorg Huber (66), the current Global Group Director TenCate Advanced Composites, will retire from TenCate at the end of this year and will continue to share his experience with TenCate as an external member of the Board of Royal Ten Cate USA.

The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) invites you to present a paper at its inaugural ASIATEC technical conference in Tokyo, Japan. The three-day event, SPE-EUROTEC 2011, will be held 15-17 February 2011. SPE invites speakers to present papers at this first-ever conference in the following areas: Nanotechnology; Green plastics and biomass plastics; Polymer processing; Engineering properties and structure; Thermoplastic elastomers; and more. Learn more here.;

BASF SE, the world's biggest chemical company, said it plans to outpace the expected 5 percent annual growth in the global plastics market by boosting operations in Asia. BASF's plastics division will report higher sales and a "significant" improvement in earnings in 2010, board member Martin Brudermueller reiterated at a press conference in Frankenthal, Germany. Demand in Asia will grow at 6 percent a year through 2015, he said. Learn more here.;