GeoAmericas 2020, the 4th Pan-American Regional Conference on Geosynthetics, has nearly arrived! From 26 - 31 October 2020, an international community of hundreds geotechnical engineers will gather ONLINE for technical sessions, lectures, and short courses. GEOAMERICAS 2020 PROGRAM It is a large program, as promised. The wide range of topics address major sectors (e.g., transportation engineering, mining) and geosynthetic materials (e.g., long-term...

The field of geosynthetics was created in many respects by manufacturers. It was manufacturers that put forth many of the engineering ideas, funded early research, supported pilot projects, innovated manufacturing processes, generated technical reports, committed to standardization, and so forth. The result of this endeavor was the development of a dynamic field, one that focuses on the only major...

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of October 19. WORK SMARTER. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT A new study suggests people do NOT want your environmental advice. So how can we tell the right stories and effect change? Here are some strategies. China's emissions reduction plan can be viewed reasonably as (1) extraordinary...

Solmax has unveiled a new online drainage design manual with significant design and specification functionality. Hosted on its own website, the Geosynthetic Drainage Tool provides project engineers with the material properties for drainage geonets and geocomposites, design procedures for using these materials, calculation equation sheets, and interactive design examples. “Geosynthetics play a vital role in the containment of solid and...

By Catrin Tarnowski –  Geomembrane wrinkling occurs, but it can be minimized. “Lay flat” geomembrane installations are quite possible, as they are documented all over the world. Truly, we can achieve this; yet, geomembrane wrinkling still happens. How does wrinkling occur? It is connected to numerous decisions made in design, product selection, and installation procedures, and with boundary conditions on...

During EuroGeo 6 (September 2016, Slovenia), Dr. Ian D. Peggs chaired a special panel discussion on geomembrane wrinkles, bridging, uplift, and ballasting. Following, and with the permission of the event organizers (the Turkish Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society) and the participating panelists, a transcript of the session was created and published on Geosynthetica. Panelists include: Ian D. Peggs (I-CORP International,...

Recently, we looked at the promise of geosynthetics in aquaculture operations, with AGRU having published a podcast on the subject. We also looked at a previous story on Geosynthetica about a Norwegian salmon operation and hatchery that had used one of the company's lining solutions. This led us back to the archives from Geosynthetica Senior Editor Chris Kelsey, who visited...

Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here's the GeoWire conversation for the week of October 5. WORK SMARTER. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Early on, the Covid crisis helped (temporarily) heal some environmental damage. Now, it may be creating new environmental threats. For example, the onset of cool fall temperatures in the US is prompting a rush on propane heaters...

The Manitowoc Containment Facility is an engineered structure designed to hold materials excavated during dredging activities in Manitowoc Harbor (Wisconsin). Confined Disposal Facilities (CDFs) like this one are one of the most widely used strategies for managing and containing dredge materials. Also known in some areas as Dredge Material Management Areas (DMMAs), these facilities require long-term maintenance to ensure...

AGRU America’s podcast series explores geosynthetic applications and polymeric material advances that beneficially influence the performance of infrastructure. The latest episode finds Cody Miles discussing geosynthetics in aquaculture. (Listen below.) “Ideally … the majority of the operating costs in an efficient fish farm comes from the feed,” Miles says. “Therefore, using components such as cages or pipe systems that require...