High-strength turf reinforcement mats made from vegetative or synthetic materials (or a combination of both) are used to prevent soil erosion in drainage areas and on steep slopes. A proposed new ASTM International standard, ASTM WK38408, Specification for Turf Reinforcement Mats, will be focused on mats made only with geosynthetics (no organic materials). ASTM WK38408 is being developed by Subcommittee D35.05 on Geosynthetic Erosion Control, part of ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics.

Africa continues to generate the buzz in the mining sector and Australia can be a key part of the growth story. One of Australia's largest mining events, the African Down Under (ADU) conference, was held in Perth recently and was focused on Africa's potential to be an economic powerhouse before the end of the century. South Africa's Minister for mining, the Honourable Minister Susan Shabangu likened the boom potential to a new dawn: "that Africa now sits at the dawn of an African Century". Read more from Coffey Mining.

In Geo-Strata, a publication of the Geo-Institute (G-I) of ASCE, it was announced that Dr. Jorge Zornberg, P.E., M.ASCE, President of the International Geosynthetics Society and a professor of engineering with the University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded the Croes Medal. He will receive the award along with John McCartney (Ph.D. 2007). The two co-authored a 2010 paper on "Centrifuge Permeameter for Unsaturated Soils: Theoretical Basis and Experimental Developments." The paper first appeared in the August 2010 issue of the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering. The Croes Medal, one of ASCE's most respect honors, is awarded on an annual basis and recognizes technical papers in the area of engineering science. Learn more here.;

In this two-part article, Alain Hérault, Sabihi Abdelhak, and Chakib El Iraki write on the new French standard NF P 94-270 and how it establishes design rules for the use of geosynthetics and other reinforcing materials in reinforced earth walls and steep slope applications. These rules, based on the partial factors defined in Eurocode 7 (EN 1997), were applied to a huge Mediterranean bypass project in Morocco to determine tensile strengths, lengths and spacing of geogrids. HERE IN PART 2, the authors address design, installation procedures, and quality management.

In this two-part article, Alain Hérault, Sabihi Abdelhak, and Chakib El Iraki write on the new French standard NF P 94-270 and how it establishes design rules for the use of geosynthetics and other reinforcing materials in reinforced earth walls and steep slope applications. These rules, based on the partial factors defined in Eurocode 7 (EN 1997), were applied to a huge Mediterranean bypass project in Morocco to determine tensile strengths, lengths and spacing of geogrids. HERE IN PART 1, the authors address the project context, Eurocode framework, and installation and durability issues.

Leister Technologies AG, and PREMSCO Inc. today announced the selection of PREMSCO Inc. as Leister's sales and distribution partner in Puerto Rico. In the agreement, Premsco will serve as Master Distributor of Leister's industrial heaters and blowers. Premsco also has non-exclusive rights to distribute Leister's line of plastic welding equipment used in the industrial fabric, geosynthetics, plastic fabrication and flooring industries in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. With the addition of Premsco, Leister customers located in Puerto Rico will now have a local distributor where they can purchase their Leister tools and have them serviced.

In its latest case study, Strata Systems profiles an exemplary green wall project. The site, the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Dearborn, Michigan, is a 20-acre education, recreation and cultural arts and worship facility. With both topographical and economic challenges to consider, the center’s managers sought a cost-efficient and attractive solution to stabilize grade changes near the outdoor amphitheater. The StrataWall system provided a vegetated facing with exceptional strength.

Congratulations are in order! Just prior to EuroGeo 5 in Spain, NAUE Geosynthetics' Andreas Dürbaum competed with teammates Christoph Dieker and Inga Hormann in Portugal at the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Single Driving Championships. Not only did the overall German team—which was comprised of three squads—win the team gold, but Andreas and his partners won the individual gold medal. Read more.

The Ijkdijk large-scale research program in the Netherlands is currently investigating the role sensor technologies can play in predicting earthen dike failures. In August and September this year, failures were precipitated, and the experiments showed that embedded sensors, such as in enhanced geotextiles like TenCate GeoDetect®, yield data that can predict failure well in advance.

The US Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) has been engaged in an extensive levee reconstruction program throughout the New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA) region ever since 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Geosynthetics have been an important part of the geotechnical solutions. In this case study from Colbond, we take a look at how wick drains have been used to prepare and stabilize the area's very soft soils in order to allow levee reconstruction.