Soil Reinforcement

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and in particular the traditional Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) states (e.g., United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar) have played a strong role in the geosynthetics field for many years. Most often, however, recognition has been given only to companies active on the raw materials side of the business, such as the extraction of petroleum and natural gas, which are subsequently used to manufacture polymers, which in turn influence the properties and performance of geosynthetics manufactured everywhere. The continued expansion of Mattex Geosynthetics, headquartered in Dubai (UAE), tells a different story and is more emblematic of the region's growing influence on the manufacturing side of geosynthetics.

While bridge and pavement conditions receive much of the media attention and legislative directives for transportation agencies, the value and performance of other assets are also important to the...

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) wants to raise the St. Charles Parish levee from 13 ft to 18 ft. The design change was revealed this week, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. A 30-day comment period has begun. Design issues are available on the Corps regional website. Learn more here.;

The Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa (GIGSA) invites its members to a tour of the multi-layered, geosynthetic-reinforced embankment at Snake Valley for the Gauteng Rapid Rail Link. The tour will be held on 22 July 2009 at 13:00. Bombela JV has been the contractor for this intriguing project and materials have been supplied by Kaytech. Interested attendees shoulod contact Jo-Ann Hechter, (011) 8798400, or e-mail adminjhb@kaytech.co.za, and ask for a map to the site office. GIGSA is the host chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) for the forthcoming GeoAfrica 2009 conference (2-5 September 2009, Cape Town). Learn more here.;

Tensar International has signed an agreement to build a manufacturing plant in Russia. Tensar is the majority shareholder in this joint venture (JV), with remaining investment coming from Russian partners. Don Meltzer, CEO of Alpharetta based parent company, Tensar Corporation, and Bob Vevoda, Chief Operating Officer and President of Tensar International, met with their Russian JV partners in London earlier this month to finalize the funding and construction schedule.

Tensar International Corporation has increased prices for its subgrade improvement and road base reinforcement geogrid products globally. The increase, effective February 15, has been implemented to partially offset significantly higher polymer raw material costs. Global cost of polypropylene is affected by a complex combination of factors. The base monomer, propylene, is a byproduct of both ethylene and gasoline production. These two processes account for over 90% of propylene production. Crude oil and natural gas prices, global cracking capacity and demand for gasoline and ethylene all have major impact on propylene availability and cost.

During GeoAmericas 2016, Dr. Neil Dixon’s sustainability keynote touched upon many topics for the future of geosynthetics. While sustainability drove most of the lecture, a few of his ideas...

HUESKER Group announces a strengthened management structure, which sets new priorities and will further improve customer orientation, reaction times and HUESKER's product and service portfolio. In order to serve the...

A late 2019 blind survey from CentralSquare of more than 5,000 participants found that Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of infrastructure improvements. In fact, 2/3 of respondents cited that infrastructure...

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) is finishing repair work on a large panel crack that formed in the tunnel roof at Hanging Lake. Part of the repair involved installing geofoam blocks and geosynthetic reinforcement--though the author of the article did not seem to understand geosynthetics if we're to judge by the description of the installation. Learn more here.;

Marchmont News, a daily, bi-lingual publication (Russian and English), reports that SIBUR Holding is investing $48 million in new geonet production in Kemerova and Orton. It is unclear from either SIBUR's official release or Marchmont's article whether geonets--for drainage--or geogrids--for reinforcement--are actually to be produced. Company comments in their official release would indicate higher-end geogrids are being produced. 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 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.;

The International Geosynthetics Society Australasian Chapter will host a multi-city seminar series on geosynthetic technology in water containment, waste disposal facility rehabilitation, and tunnelling. The seminar will be held in Auckland...

GSE Environmental has announced the addition of Mark Leigh as the company’s President of the Americas, as of August 24. Leigh brings more than three decades of experience, including...

For 20 years, Australia-based NBW Mining has supplied HUESKER Minegrid® into longwall mining applications. Now, NBW Mining is joining the HUESKER family. HUESKER Synthetic GmbH, the international headquarters for the...

The American Public Works Association (APWA) 2011 conference and exhibition is accepting presentation proposals through 30 September 2010. The event will be held 18-21 September 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Learn more here.;

GeoAmericas 2016 will be held 10 – 13 April 2016 in Miami, Florida, USA. The event brings together experts in geosynthetics and geotechnical engineering from throughout the Americas. Hosted...

Following the successful launch of the International Tunnelling Awards in 2010, New Civil Engineer in partnership with sister title, Ground Engineering, is now calling for entries for the 2011 awards which will this year take the exciting global programme to Hong Kong (30 November 2011). The closing date for entries is the 5 August 2011. Learn more. Learn more here.;

Sports stadiums generate significant media attention, for their cultural place in a city, their economic impact, their importance to the competitiveness of a team, their fairness of play, and...

On 11 May 2009, US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) adminstrator Lisa P. Jackson's testified before the United States Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to defend the administration's $10 billion+ budget. The new budget, as proposed, includes $3.9 billion for water infrastructure.

The North American Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS – NA) held its 2017 Photo Contest in January and February. Results were announced at the IGS – NA...

ASTM Committee D35 on Geosynthetics has announced work item WK36264, "Test Method for Determining Long-Term Connection Strength Displacement (Creep) Between Geosynthetic Reinforcement and Segmental Concrete Units (Modular Concrete Blocks)." This is a performance test used to determine properties for design of retaining wall systems utilizing segmental concrete units and soil reinforcing geosynthetics, either geotextiles or geogrids. The test is performed on a full-scale construction of the connection and may be run in a laboratory or the field. 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.;

In the spring issue of the GIGSA News, published by the Geosynthetics Interest Group of South Africa, new president Edoardo Zannoni (Maccaferri) outlines the groups ambitious plan to expand...