Slope stability analysis is a common design problem in geotechnics and thus, several slope stability methods using classical limit equilibrium analysis are available. In these methods, applied surcharge load and corresponding stresses are distributed in the soil medium often using Boussinesq theory. This theory assumes elastic, homogenous, isotropic soil medium that extend laterally to infinity. Thus, to account for...

Structural design of highway or airfield pavements or railroads involves assumption of key mechanistic parameter values such as resilient modulus, modulus of subgrade reaction, dynamic modulus, and track modulus. There is growing interest in mechanistic-based construction testing methods to field verify design-modulus assumptions. Here, Pavana Vennapusa, Ph.D., P.E. and David J. White, Ph.D., P.E. describe how Automated Plate Load...

This article has been UPDATED (12 March 2020) to reflect the event’s new dates. The organizers of GeoU 2020's reinforcement course have announced the additions of Dr. Jorge Zornberg, P.E. (University of Texas at Austin), Dr. Erol Tutumluer (University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign), and Ashley MacMillan, P.E. (TenCate Geosynthetics) to the instructors for "Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Structure Design and Construction: Slopes,...

The Swabian Gate Weir was constructed in 1873 on the Dreisam River in Freiburg/Breisgau, Germany. The historic installation was listed for monument protection, but its decaying state began to threaten the river. It became especially problematic for the migration of fish, such as the salmon stocks which were being reintroduced to the ecosystem. To improve the site’s ecological performance...

An extraordinary volume of sediment must be removed from waterways each year to enable safe navigation and effective port operations. Maintenance dredging and environmental remediation measures drive the sediment management market. While mechanical means and storage in spoils areas are common, we increasingly find geosynthetic dewatering and encapsulation technologies utilized as a highly effective alternative. Markus Wilke (HUESKER) and...

Fouled ballast results in the degradation of mechanical properties of ballast and railway track instability. Seasonal dry-wet cycles increase the severity of the situation. In this latest addition to Geosynthetica from the GAP 2019 transportation engineering conference, Prajwol Tamrakar and Soheil Nazarian describe the use of impact load testing on clean, clay-fouled, and rock dust-fouled ballast. Their research reveals...

Geosynthetic materials are used extensively in coastal engineering and protection projects. The modern geotextiles industry, in fact, emerged in the late 1950s as the response of engineers to severe North Sea flooding in the Netherlands and tropical storm damage in the United States. GeoU 2020’s short course “Geosynthetics in Stormwater Controls and Hydraulic Engineering” will showcase the many ways engineering...

The International Geosynthetics Society runs a series of high-level workshops that are organized by the IGS Technical Committees. Two of the major TCs are TC – Soil Reinforcement and TC – Stabilization. Both completed highly successful workshops in the past few months. Here, we look at work from Jacek Kawalec and Eugeniusz Koda from GeoAmericas 2016—part of Geosynthetica’s GeoAmericas...

Dr. Stacey Kulesza, P.E., Robert Sherwood, and Dr. Michelle Berry, P.E. exam fouled ballast and soil-water characteristic curves, in this latest share from the GAP 2019 transportation engineering conference proceedings (Colorado Springs, November 2019). Geosynthetica published the proceedings. The team's research is extremely valuable, as ballast fouling can impact the safety and performance of railway tracks. The work also...

If you visit a geosynthetic manufacturing center, distribution warehouse, or job site, you’ll often find unique uses of the materials. Installers might use extra scraps of HDPE to weld together tool-carrying buckets. Geogrid manufacturers or distributors might use an extra cut from a roll as a trellis to allow vines and flowers to grow up along a green space...