Soil Reinforcement

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 United Kingdom-based Contract Journal has published a piece on one of the most intriguing development schemes: the construction of an entirely new, tech-centric town. Ebbsfleet Valley in North Kent will be connected to London and Paris by high-speed rail and include its own "mini-Seine." The US $5 billion project will include some interesting engineering challenges to its water features, much of which will call upon geogrid reinforcement. Learn more here.;

Over at e-Veritas--tthe website for the Royal Military College's (RMC) Club--they've posted congratulatory news regarding Dr. Richard Bathurst, who has been awarded this year's Quigley Award. The R.M. Quigley Award is awarded annually by the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) to an individual or individuals whose paper has been judged to be the best paper published in the Canadian Geotechnical Journal during the preceding year. The title of his winning paper is “Development of the K-stiffness method for geosynthetic reinforced soil walls constructed with c-ö soils." 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 Society for the Plastics Industry (SPI) has opened its website for its next major show: NPE2009 (also known as the International Plastics Show). The event will be held 22-26 June 2009 in Chicago at McCormick Place. Visit the website for the latest on this 75,000-attendee, 2,000-supplier event. Learn more here.;

Tensar International has taken an industry initiative to invest in the development of specialist software that enables engineers and contractors to calculate CO2 savings that arise from the use of TriAx geogrids on specific ground stabilization projects. In addition, using Tensar's TriAx geogrids in ground stabilisation applications can enable reductions in aggregate thickness of over 40% for the same load bearing performance, compared to traditional methods. Learn more here.;

In Charleston, West Virginia, an emergency plan has been approved to keep a road from collapsing into the Kanawha River. The US Army Corps of Engineers is assisting the project to install geosynthetic reinforcement and soil protection along Kanawha Boulevard. Riprap will also be installed in an erosion control zone. Learn more here.;

The October 2008 issue of CE News includes an opportunity for readers to earn PDHs by reading and responding to Stephen Archer's peer-reviewed article "Subgrade Improvement for Paved and Unpaved Surfaces Using Geogrids." Archer has brought his experience from Tensar to this latest installment in CE News' Professional Development Series. A PDF copy is available courtesy of Tensar. Get your copy today and earn your hours. Learn more here.;

In South Africa, the "Dustbowl" traders along a much-needed lagoon access-road reinforcement project are suffering. Jo-Ann Bekker's story notes the significant decline in cheese sales during construction. But the upgrades are vital: gabion support on the embankments to protect against slip failure. Turbidity curtains have also been installed to contain disturbed clay that is mixing into the lagoon. With any luck, the dustbowl trading station will be free of obstructions soon and normal sales will resume. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) will host a Federal Highways Adminstration (FHWA) - National Highways Institute (NHI) workshop 13 November 2008 in Atlanta at a Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) facility. The workshop has been developed for federal, state and local transportation personnel involved in bridge, hydraulic, pavement, geotechnical, and construction work. The course qualifies for 0.6 Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Learn more here.;

In Florida, paved roads that have suffered pitting and rutting, such as those in Gainsville, are being quickly corrected with paving fabric. The top layer of the asphalt is taken off speedily and the fabric rolled into place. New asphalt is applied on top. Paving fabrics have been shown to significantly reduce road crumbling and extend service lives. Learn more here.;

The October 2008 issue of CE News includes an opportunity for readers to earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs) by reading and responding to Stephen Archer's peer-reviewed article "Subgrade Improvement for Paved and Unpaved Surfaces Using Geogrids." Archer has brought his experience from Tensar to this latest installment in CE News' Professional Development Series. Request a PDF copy of the article from CE News and earn your credit. Learn more here.;

Get the final details on the International Seminar on Eurocodes 7 and 8 from the Macedonian Association for Geotechnics' (MAG) website for the conference. The event--also under the name Eurocodes: Building the Future--will be held 29 October-1 November 2008 in Struga, Macedonia. MAG is a chapter of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). Learn more here.;

The London Metal Exchange (LME) has a closely watched plastics index, a link to which you can always find on geosynthetica's Resin Index page. And now, LME Education is travelling to North America to deliver a training program intended for market users to understand the value that LME services can add to their business. Don't miss this opportunity to get first-class training. Sessions will be held in Chicago (November 10-12) and Houston (November 13-14). Learn more here.;

Conwed Global Netting Solutions has announced the acquisition of Monahan Filaments located in Middlebury, Vermont. Monahan’s PROSTRAN® brand filaments are used as a component in turf reinforcement mats (TRMs). Read more at Erosion Control. Learn more here.;

Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has partnered with Green Building Initiative (GBI) to bring you the latest information on the legal application, risk management and regulatory policy needed to ensure the continued success of green building. Three sessions have been announced: Risk and Liability in the Construction Industry; Regulatory Issues that Add to Construction Risk; and How Insurance Plays a Role in Construction Risk. Read more on this page. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica.net has launched a mining study. The report will gauge future mining needs and ways these needs are expected to be met by geosynthetics (in tailings ponds, access road construction, leach pads, etc.). Geosynthetics in the Global Mining Industry is already in motion and will be released 31 March 2009. Companies interested in pre-purchasing the study (at a significant discount) and learning how they can be part of the survey oversight board should contact Elizabeth Peggs for information and a brochure.

The latest issue of Geosynthetics International is now available. The current issue--volume 15, number 5--contains the following: "Best Geosynthetics International Paper for 2007"; "Performance of geosynthetic-reinforced alternative sub-ballast material in a railway track" by Fernandes, Palmeira and Gomes; " Liquefaction resistance of sand reinforced with geosynthetics" by Altun, Göktepe and Lav; "Seismic stability of reinforced slopes: failure mechanisms and displacements" by Huang, Horng and Charng; "Reinforcement design for construction of cover soil over soft sludge" by Espinoza and Sabatini; "Comparative study on performance and index tests simulating abrasion damage of a woven geotextile" by Huang; "Electrokinetic improvement of soft clay using electrical vertical drains" by Rittirong, Douglas, Shang and Lee; and a "Corrigendum."

Earlier this month, geosynthetica's role as a media partner to Penton Media's Global Waste Management Symposium was completed as the event unfolded in Copper Mountain, Colorado. It was a marvelous event that touched upon current and future practice through a shrewd mix of presentations from active engineering practices, on-going research, and academia. Also, the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) arranged two fine session on the design, installation and monitoring of engineered berms--a much-needed and much-appreciated dialogue. Read more about the event in Chris Kelsey's review.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is developing new roads to improve access for residents who live near I-5 in the fast-growing zone along the Washington-Oregon border. As Associated Construction Publications (ACP) reports, the region is transitioning from rural to suburban infrastructures, populations and traffic volumes. But developers and officials want to keep the wilder appearance of the area, so they are using interesting drainage technologies for site runoff. Holding ponds release across geogrid slopes with tree branch cover. As the water flows through, it interacts with the brush as in a wetland. Eventually, it reaches a creek. Learn more here.;

GeoAfrica 2009 marks the first African regional conference on geosynthetics. Held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) and hosted by the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA)--a chapter of IGS--the September 2009 Cape Town conference seeks abstracts and proposals. Deadline for receipt of 350-word abstracts is 30 Septmber 2008. Geosynthetica encourages its readers to get involved with this historic event. Visit the abstract submission page. Learn more here.;

Companies interested in exhibiting at GeoAfrica 2009, 2-5 September 2009, Cape Town, South Africa should be aware that the exhibit hall is limited to 30 spots. The conference organizers report that more than half of them have already been booked. Visit the conference's exhibitor page for more information. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica's new site organization still includes our most popular items of use, such as the Buyer's Guide, Industry Directory, Publications/Tech Docs and Abstracts Database, and much more. Use the links along the top row of the banner at the top of the page for easy access to these zones. And don't forget to try out our new channel pages for geosynthetics functions (row two of the link buttons along the page's top banner) and applications (row three). For information on how to get listed in any of these databases, directories and guides, please contact Chris Kelsey.

Elizabeth Peggs and Chris Kelsey would like to extend warm thank yous to the organizers and participants of EuroGeo 4 (Edinburgh, Scotland) and the Global Waste Management Symposium (Copper Mountain, Colorado), events they attended for geosynthetica last week. Reports from the events will appear shortly: about Copper Mountain this week (Wednesday, September 17) and about Edinburgh next week. Pictures, presentation notes, and much more are on the way! They were fantastic events.

The geogrid-supported road redesign project in Ann Arbor, Michigan that was reported here a couple months ago has been completed. The $3.7 million, 1.3-mile-long Huron River Drive project adopted geogrid reinforcement so that the base could be shallower. This minimized slope disturbance during construction along the scenic route. Learn more here.;