Roundtable focuses on geocomposite peel testing

On February 12 during the Geosynthetics Conference 2019 in Houston, Texas, a roundtable discussion was held regarding geocomposite peel testing and a potential new approach for testing of this index property. The session was moderated by Richard Thiel and included approximately 65 attendees. The lively discussion focused on the previously unrecognized high variability of the bond strength between the geonet core and the heat-bonded upper/lower nonwoven geotextiles across the roll width of manufactured geocomposites. The fact that this variability could affect the shear strength and constructability of the product was recognized. It was suggested that the Standard Test Method ASTM D7005, Determining the Bond Strength of Geocomposites, be considered for revision so that the test results would accurately reflect the variability in the bond strength across the roll width.