Soil Reinforcement

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI), Folsom, Pennsylvania will be holding its next GSI Short Courses on March 22 and 23. A certification exam will also be offered on March 24. The opportunities are: "Geosynthetics in Waste Containment Liner and Cover Design," March 22; "Quality Control/Quality Assurance of Geosynthetics Installation," March 23; and the Examination for Inspector Certification, March 24. Read more about these events and download a registration brochure.

At the 41st conference and expo of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) held in Dallas, Texas, 16-20 February 2010, the IECA Board of Directors installed one new officer and held an election to determine who would hold the position of Treasurer. All other members of the Board of Directors will continue to serve in their current roles. The IECA Board of Directors is made up of nine members, each serving a three year term. Read more.

ASTM has signed an official memorandum of understanding with the Institute for Standardization of Serbia. The MOU program promotes communication between ASTM International and national standards bodies worldwide, fostering awareness of the standardization systems of all parties involved. ASTM has signed 69 MOUs with national standards bodies. Learn more here.;

The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has released its latest Approved Product List (APL) for erosion control activities associated with its products. The March 2010 document, which draws upon AASHTO, NTPEP and ECTC testing approaches, includes a number of products and companies for meeting various types of erosion control situations, such as biodegradable blankets from East Coast Erosion Blankets, North American Green, Propex, Tencate (Mirafi Construction Products), and Tensar. Learn more here.;

At Geo-Frontiers 2011, a special session will be held on "Soil-Structure-Geosynthetics Interaction." Session organizers invite abstracts through the overall conference abstract submission deadline: 8 March 2010. The proposed technical session will include presentations related to the development and application of analysis and design dealing with macro-scale mechanical interaction problems encountered in foundation engineering, underground construction, railroads and pavements, and ground improvement. Learn more.

At the Geo-Frontiers 2011 conference, there will be a technical session on Concrete Protection Liners co-chaired by Ian D. Peggs (icorp@geosynthetic.com) and Peter Dimaio (peterd@aks.co.za). All those working on tunnels, wastewater treatment basins, process chemical containment, or any other aspect of concrete protection using geomembranes or thicker polymeric sheet products, are invited to submit abstracts through 8 March 2010. Learn more.

Abstracts for Geo-Frontiers 2011 are due by 8 March 2010! Please keep this in mind during the coming week. Geo-Frontiers 2011 brings together the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute (GI) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). It will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. Tracks include Soil/Rock Mechanics and Modeling; Geotechnical Testing and Site Characterization; Foundations and Ground Improvement; Slopes, Embankments, and Earth Retaining Structures; Geosynthetics; Geoenvironmental Engineering; Geo-Hazards (Earthquakes, Landslides, Erosions, Others); Transportation Materials and Pavements; and Other Geotechnical Related Issues. Learn more here.;

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.

To drive growth for the DuPont™ Typar® physical vapor deposition (PVD) business in Vietnam, DuPont Building Innovations and its strategic customer, DAEHAN i.m., recently organized a seminar, held in Ho Chi Minh City. Seminar attendees included 150 project owners, civil engineers and contractors. Seminar topics included soft-soil improvement techniques, DuPont™ Typar® for PVD filters and DAEHAN i.m.'s PVD products.

The petrochemical Group of SIBUR and the Leader-Innovations Private Investment Fund of High-Risk (Venture) Investments under the management of Leader MC have run their joint facility OOO Plastic-GeoSynthetic for development of modern geosynthetic materials research and production center at industrial site in Tulskaya Oblast.

Applied Market Information (AMI) has announced a date change for its Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar 2010. The event will be held in Brussels, Beglium on May 20 (instead of the originally scheduled May 13). The discussion will focus on understanding the future shape of the plastics industry, and the way in which plastics processors will have to adjust to the rapidly changing world. AMI has revised all its forecasts and trend analysis on a worldwide basis. This data will be presented exclusively to attendees at Plastics Industry Strategy Seminar 2010. Learn more here.;

Students are invited to submit abstracts for publication in the conference proceedings and presentation during Geo-Frontiers 2011. Papers of interest include new research, design initiatives and innovative geosynthetic solutions. Five students will be selected as finalists for the Geosynthetics Student Paper Competition. The winner will receive a $500 award and $250 for travel expenses. Runners-up will receive a $250 award and $250 for travel expenses. Read more.

Geosynthetics are polymer-based synthetic materials, which are used with rock, earth, soil, or other materials associated with geotechnical engineering, for facilitating cost efficient projects in transportation, building, construction and environmental sectors. Increased spending on construction and infrastructure development activities is expected to boost global demand for geosynthetics. Transportation sector offers growth opportunities due to the ability of geosynthetic products in enhancing durability of roads, improving drainage facilities, and facilitate construction of erosion-preventing structures. All these are achieved at a lower cost as compared to traditional products. Landfill market represents another key focus area for geosynthetics (geomembranes), owing to their increased usage in sealing waste containment areas and leachate pits. Learn more.

Levees in the New Orleans area are being decertified at the moment. Faced with an estimated need of $100 billion to properly fix the region's levee system and prevent another disaster such as the failures that occurred during 2004's Hurricane Katrina. Decertification will affect zoning and property issues. The US Army Corp of Engineers has made repair proposals, but those plans are contingent upon significant funding increases necessary to take on responsibility for the larger system and correct it. Learn more here.;

Geo-Frontiers 2011 brings together the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Geo-Institute (GI) and the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI). It will be held 13-16 March 2011 in Dallas, Texas. A special session will be held on floating covers for potable water. Your abstracts are encouraged. The deadline for abstracts is 8 March 2010.

The 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG) will be held in Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil 23-27 May 2010. When entering Brazil, your passport must be valid for at least six months after the date of entry. For tourists from the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), it is necessary only to show some identification or a valid passport. For tourists and visitors from other countries, visas may be required. Read more.

Global Synthetics has been appointed exclusive Australian distributors for Propex geotextiles and erosion control products. US-based Propex is one of the world's leading suppliers of geosynthetics. Global Synthetics now delivers well-recognised erosion control products, Landlok®, the Pyramat® range of high performance turf reinforcement mats and the Propex range of Geotex® geotextiles. Read more in the release.

Global political and engineering discussions are focusing on sustainability. Reductions in energy consumption are key, particularly in relation to climate-related gases, such as CO2 and CH4. These new goals, while beneficial, pose challenges to the construction industry. Geosynthetics are helping. Read about NAUE's Prof. Georg Heerten and important research being conducted on the beneficial environmental impact of geosynthetics.

Tennessee-based Propex Operating Company, LLC recently concluded the company's first international sales meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. More than 100 sales representatives from around the world participated in the two-day meeting from January 29-30. Read more in the release.

TRI/Environmental continues its steady growth, as the latest annual newsletter from the Austin, Texas-based company indicates. Sam Allen, Rick Thomas, Joel Sprague and Rich Lacey continue their high level of activity on industry committees; TRI's lab personnel expertise and 24-hour operation option has resulted in record report turnaround times;new testing equipment has greatly expanded the company's capabilities, especially in interface friction and direct shear testing; the ability to test soil specimens with our direct simple shear apparatus is new in 2010; the Denver Down Research Facility (DDRF), a first-of-its-kind large-scale erosion and sediment control performance systems, has received GAI-LAP accreditation; and much more. Read TRI's annual letter for the full story.

In response to several North American polypropylene suppliers declaring force majeure, Propex Operating Company, LLC will be raising prices across all four of its global business units - Flooring Solutions, Geosynthetics, Concrete Solutions and Performance Technologies. The amount of the increase will range from 12 - 20% varying by business unit and location. Read more.

Huge investments in India’s road infrastructure will translate to big opportunities for geotextiles manufacturers, the Government believes. But Reena Mital learns why the country’s industry is more cautious. Learn more here.;

AASHTO's National Transportation Product Evaluation Program (NTPEP) January 2010 report on Erosion Control Product (ECP) data is available for free download. Products included in this edition of NTPEP Report on ECPs are required to resubmit to NTPEP every three years. In addition to the voluntary submissions and independent testing information, NTPEP includes "drop dates" for when products are set to expire. Read the report here (PDF). Learn more here.;

In May, when participants from around the world arrive in Guaruja, São Paulo, Brazil for the 9th International Conference on Geosynthetics (9ICG), they'll have many hotel beachfront hotel options. The conference organizers have announced that a local travel agency has arranged for special rates at more than just the conference hotel, the Sofitel Jequitimar Hotel. Attendees may also choose from several hotels located at the beaches of Enseada and Pernambuco. Read more and guarantee your best rate no matter where you stay during 9ICG.

The forecast for severe weather this week has prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cancel its two-day Greener Cleanup Symposium that was scheduled for 10-11 February 2010 at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The event would have explored the most environmentally safe methods to clean up and revitalize contaminated properties.