Soil Reinforcement

Tensar International has released the latest issue of GeoTalk. This 18th volume of the company's geosynthetics applications newsletter includes a field study on geogrid performance in roads, new paving reinforcement materials, use of geogrids by the US Army Corp of Engineers for border zone installations, slope retention and dewatering. Download the issue in PDF. Learn more here.;

The latest issue of Land and Water includes a piece on the Pineda Ocean Club's shoreline restoration in Satellite Beach, Florida. Sand-filled geotextile tubes provide dune stabilization support. The design mirrored a similar installation from 1989--one which helped withstand two hurricanes 15 years later. Read the article online. Learn more here.;

Our bi-weekly update on calls for papers, abstracts and proposals is posted. This issue includes Cooperation for Waste Issues, a Kharkiv, Ukraine event for which geosynthetica is a media partner. Events are listed in ordered of closest deadlines.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) has announced the winners of its 2008-2009 scholarships. Congratulations are in order for Garrett Graybill, Brian Carlton, Rachel Ernst and Joe Tom on their deserved recognition. Read more about their work and the 2009-2010 call for nominations.

The CE Mark on products allows companies to distribute those products throughout the European Union. It's vital to be competitive in Europe. Süddeutsches Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ) recently brought CE information to representatives in China. Read a short report in English.

A German version of SKZ's report from China is available. SKZ visited the Geosynthetics Asia 2008 event to discuss CE Marking of products with companies. Read the German version of the report.

Minneapolis-based Press Pubs has published a piece from Major Chad Arcand, who is stationed in Mosul, Iraq. He reports that some military outposts in Iraq are being constructed with soil-filled, geotextile-lined gabion walls for perimeter defense. Learn more here.;

Resin prices have increased dramatically this year, and since resins provide the vital characteristics of geosynthetics, the cost of geosynthetic products have risen--though not nearly by as much as resins have. But there is only so much manufactures can do before some of their increased costs must transfer into the product lines. Tensar International has released a letter about this. Learn more here.;

We've seen a great many Calls for Papers, Abstracts and Proposals come out recently. It can be difficult to track all this during your busy work season. Keep up-to-date on the calls with our update column that may identify particular sessions of interest, such as the Geotechnical Risk portion of the 2009 DBIA Water/Wastewater event. Read more about these forthcoming deadlines.

The Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) has announced that it is preparing to meet with members of the U.S. Congress who have an interest in levee safety. GMA seeks examples of geosynthetic products that can be employed for emergency levee repair and levee heightening to prevent overtopping. For information on the meeting and GMA, contact Andrew Aho. Learn more here.;

Tensar International has provided a bit more detail regarding funeral services for Jim Paul, the company's former CEO. A private cremation ceremony will be held on July 4 followed by a public service. Read more.

The sagging state of the American infrastructure is well known. The recent collapse of more than 20 levees during the flooding in the Midwest is more than telling. But the Economist has now weighed in with a rather stark, short essay on the funding and application needs. Transportation and water management are of major concern. Read more. Learn more here.;

The deadline for the “early-bird” conference registration fee for GeoEdmonton’08 in 20 July 2008. Act soon to save $100 on registration. For non-members of the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS), your registration includes membership. The online registration system can also be used to register for the short courses and technical tours. GeoEdmonton '08 will be held 21-24 September 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Learn more here.;

ASTM's Committee D35 on Geosynthetics will be meeting June 26 in Denver. "Geosynthetics in Roadways and Pavements" will be the focus of Subcommittee 01 on Mechanical Properties that day. Regular Task Group meetings on properties frequently used to characterize geogrids and geotextiles used in roads and pavements will be sandwiched around an hour long update by Steve Perkins on the encouraging developments and correlations of index, bench-scale, and full-scale separation/stabilization test methods. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics 2009 will be held 25-27 February 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The deadline for submission of abstracts and proposals is June 30. The conference theme is "Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering." See the abstract submission page for more information. Learn more here.;

The flooding in the Midwestern United States has caused significant damage to croplands and communities as levees have given way. Along the Mississippi River, at least 19 levees have burst. Another 26 have been identified by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) as critical…and that's just on the Mississippi. Other rivers in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri are experiencing similar challenges. Learn more here.;

The TriAx geogrid from Tensar has won a Gold Medal at the Brno International Building Fair in the Czech Republic and at Autostrada 2008 in Kiecle, Poland. Out of the 800 exhibiting companies and eight award winners at Autostrada, TriAx was the only geosynthetic product to receive recognition within road construction and took home the coveted 'Product & Technology' category award. Learn more here.;

Word is starting to get out about GeoAfrica 2009. The event will be held in Cape Town, South Africa 2-4 September 2009. This will be the first conference to be held under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) in the region. The first call has been issued. Updates are forthcoming. Keep an eye on geosynthetica.net and the IGS' South African chapter website for more. Learn more here.;

Randall-Reilly Publishing, parent company of the magazines Better Roads and Aggregates Manager, have announced two promotions. Tina Grady Barbaccia has become executive editor of Better Roads magazine and Kerry Clines has been promoted to senior editor on Aggregates Manager. Geosynthetica congratulates them on their promotions and looks forward to working with them in their new positions. Learn more here.;

ASTM International's Committee D13 on Textiles is working on a new standard to help fiber-reinforced concrete production. The Work Item from Subcommittee D13.58 (Yarns and Fibers) is titled "Specification for Polyolefin Chopped Strands for Use in Concrete" and is designated WK18377. It will provide manufacturers of chopped strands intended for concrete application with uniformity in their testing and some minimal specifications to insure suitable quality to the market. Learn more here.;

Construction magazine has published an update on the Virginia Department of Transportation's Newport News road-widening project. The project is entering its Phase III, which includes the installation of geotextiles and, in some places, geogrids to strengthen the silty and blue marle clay soils that characterize the peninsula. Learn more here.;

For the latest on geotextile data, check geosindex.com's listings. Major suppliers Fiberweb, GSE and Propex have posted their product data in the interactive table that allows you to select your criteria fields and sort by key values. Use it today for geotextiles or other materials. Learn more here.;

Ontario has made significant changes in recent years in its regulatory approach to redeveloping Brownfields. The field of redevelopment represents an important growth area for hundreds of companies and thousands of clients. Marcia Wallace, Ontario's Brownfields Coordinator, will speak on June 25 at an Ontario Environment Industry Association (ONEIA) Environmental Business Opportunity Breakfast (EBOB) event. Learn more here.;

World prices for precious and semi-precious metals have vaulted in the past few years, and this spike in demand has helped fuel tremendous growth in the mining industry. But while prices have somewhat stabilized, growth will continue. Australia forecasts a 70% rise in employment (90,000 new jobs) in mining through 2020 in the mining sector. And these projects will also require environmental controls, which is where geosynthetics enter in. Learn more here.;

Geosynthetics 2009, the next chapter in the international, biennial Geosynthetics series, will be held in Salt Lake City 25-27 February 2009. Beth Wistrcill of IFAI has released information regarding an extension to the abstracts and proposals submission deadline. It is now 30 June 2008. Read the release here.