Minnesota geomembrane durability study expanded
January 31st, 2019
More than twenty years ago, the founders of the PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) and the succeeding entity Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) set out to evaluate the long-term durability of geomembranes in actual field use. They wanted to exhume numerous samples of exposed geomembranes for testing on a periodic basis without ruining the integrity of the […]
FGI expands Summer Internship Program
November 28th, 2017
The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) expanded its Summer Internship Program to three companies and six interns during the summer of 2017. The main objectives of the program are to introduce future civil engineers to the geosynthetics field and civil engineering construction, and to provide a connection between […]
Protecting geomembranes from animal damage
June 1st, 2017
Resisting animal and insect attacks on geomembranes is an interesting problem. Geomembrane installers and manufacturers have had numerous geomembranes damaged by bears, deer, coyotes, birds, beavers, and ground squirrels (Figures 1 and 2). In most cases, the damage is incidental to something else the animal is seeking. Deer damage the liner with their hooves trying […]
Long-term durability of geomembrane material and seams
April 1st, 2017
Introduction The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI), formerly the PVC Geomembrane Institute, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (Minn. DNR), has been conducting a study assessing the long-term durability of PVC geomembranes. Samples of three different 30-mil PVC geomembranes were placed at the bottom of a settling basin near the northern Minnesota town […]
FGI initiates summer internship program
September 20th, 2016
By Timothy D. Stark, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Jennifer Miller, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI), based at the University of Illinois/Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), has concluded its first student internship program. The main objectives of the program are to introduce future civil engineers to the field of geosynthetics and to provide […]
Minnesota geomembrane durability study
August 1st, 2016
More than 20 years ago, the founders of the PVC Geomembrane Institute (PGI) and the succeeding entity, the Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) set out to test materials that were in actual field use. They wanted to exhume numerous samples for testing on a periodic basis without ruining the integrity of the installed primary liner system. […]