Oscar Wilde often gets credit for the phrase “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” though Wilde was merely building upon an aphorism popularized earlier in the 19th century by Charles Caleb Colton.  In manufacturing, and especially where patents are involved, imitation can get a little too cozy. It may lead to patent infringement cases. Presto Geosystems has certainly dealt...

After spending a number of years working in Australia’s geosynthetics engineering field, American Joseph Little returned to the States and founded the environmental engineering consultancy firm, Little Environments PLLC in Raleigh, North Carolina. Little brought back considerable insight into the use of geosynthetics in shoreline applications—a major area of engineering in Australia—and a drive to provide, as his website...

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of June 1. WORK SMARTER. BIG PROJECTS Orsted is ready to install the first offshore wind turbines in US federal waters off the East Coast. Seven coastal states have pledged to install 15 GW offshore by 2030. (We recommend geosynthetic scour protection!) Fast Company reports on...

Geosynthetica has reached a major milestone: its 20th anniversary of delivering geosynthetics stories! In internet years, that’s a long, long time. The publication was founded by Dr. Ian D. Peggs, who sold the business in 2010 and retired from his formal consultancy (I-CORP International) in early 2020. While Dr. Peggs was not involved in the daily operations of Geosynthetica...

Over the past 20 years, a lot has changed in the geosynthetics field. The material science has advanced substantially, such as with composite technologies and the temperatures at which geomembranes may be used. Testing, research, and long-term evaluations have provided enormous insights into service lives and sustainability in infrastructure. Installation practices and equipment have been refined. Market participation has...

Geosynthetica's editor Chris Kelsey checks in on the growth of virtual events. This is the GeoUpdate from GeoTalk for May 27. With the spread of the COVID virus around the world, virtual events are keeping geotechnical engineers connected. Webinars have replaced most in-person office visits. I even did my first Microsoft Teams podcast interview this morning—and we’ve seen many geotechnical...

By Joel Sprague and Jay Sprague - Controlling the migration of sediment is essential to the health of our waterways. Anywhere land is disturbed, such as in agricultural operations and construction, there is a risk of stormwater-induced sediment migration. Anywhere there is a sparsely vegetated or unvegetated surface exposed to runoff, there is a risk of erosion. These conditions...

REMINDER: TRI Environmental's renowned classes on geosynthetics QA / QC in containment installations and with compacted clay liners and geosynthetic clay liners will be offered for the first time in an online format June 1 - 4. The live, half-day sessions will be taught by the teaching team that annually leads the in-person version of the class: Mark Sieracke,...

Australia-based engineer Siamak Paulson (ADE Consulting Group Pty Ltd) hosts a podcast on geosynthetics. In the latest episode, he interviews industry veteran Kent von Maubeuge (NAUE). Other episodes available on Siamak's YouTube Channel include interviews with Mike Dobie, Brendan Swifte, and Boyd Ramsey. VON MAUBEUGE ON RESEARCH, EDUCATION & INDUSTRY ACTIVITY von Maubeuge is one of the most active members of industry...

CETCO's Tech Talk video series shares high-quality information on geosynthetics and affiliated engineering issues. Here, and in less than three minutes, Dr. Craig Benson explains how a swell index test (or, free swell) can be a good measure for how the bentonite in a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) will react with a particular leachate. He also address the hydraulic...