TEXTILES.ORG
The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Wall, Berm and Slope Construction Inspection,” on May 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) member companies and their employees receive discounted rates on all GSI webinar and short course registrations.
The inspection (aka monitoring) of MSE wall, berm and slope construction using geosynthetic reinforcement is absolutely essential for providing a safe and durable system. Such inspection includes three distinct time frames: before, during and after construction. This webinar is focused on what is felt to be the proper state-of-the-practice in this regard. Integral to this task is the contractual method, the various organizations involved, and the specific inspector’s tasks.
The materials involved (soils, geosynthetic facings) will be illustrated as will typical inspection costs.
Specific activities before construction (foundation conditions, water regimes, materials conformance testing, meetings and documentation); during construction (leveling pad, drainage, face forming, lift progression and finished soil surface); and after construction (final structure, as-built survey, and periodic future inspections) will be emphasized. An inspector certification program will be described.
Webinar participants will learn about contractual variations used in the construction of MSE structures with geosynthetic reinforcement. They will also learn about types and conformance testing of materials used in their construction. The major focus, however, is to learn an inspector’s duties and obligations before, during and after construction of the MSE system. These separate stages are amply illustrated by many field photos of correct practice.
The implications of a failed MSE structure will be dismissed from the vantage point of remediation costs, negative publicity and loss of confidence in this type of wall, berm and slope system.
Webinar Benefits
- Various contracting schemes will be discussed.
- General inspector’s tasks will be defined.
- The different materials involved in construction will be illustrated.
- Specifics of activities before construction will be illustrated.
- Specifics of activities during construction will be illustrated.
- Specifics of activities after construction will be illustrated.
- Data on failed MSE systems will be described to emphasize various areas of specific attention.
- Costs of inspection and remediation of failed walls will be presented.
Intended Audiences
The webinar will be beneficial for owners of MSE walls, berms and slopes in both the public and private sectors; federal, state and regional geotechnical, transportation, and environmental engineers; engineers from municipal districts and townships; private and municipal land developers, architectural and landscape designers; general civil consulting engineers; testing laboratories servicing these organizations; manufacturers and representatives of geosynthetic materials; contractors and installers of MSE walls, berms and steep soil slopes; academic and research groups; and others desiring technically related information on this important aspect of our constructed infrastructure.
Webinar Instructor
Dr. George R. Koerner is the director of the Geosynthetic Institute, a position that he has held since 2014. Koerner’s interest in geosynthetics spans his entire professional life from undergraduate work in the 1980s to the present. He holds his Ph.D. in civil, architectural and environmental engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa. Koerner’s master thesis was on direct shear testing of geosynthetic interfaces and his doctoral dissertation was on landfill leachate clogging of soil and geosynthetic filters. Both are regularly cited to this day.
Koerner is a professional engineer in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is an ASQC quality auditor.
***
Webinars cost $200.00 for GSI and GMA members, and $250.00 for nonmembers. Successful completion of a multiple-choice test after the webinar carries 1.5 professional development hours (PDH).
For more information or to register, visit http://www.geosynthetic-institute.org/webinar.htm.