TEXTILES.ORG
The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Geosynthetics in Erosion Control,” on December 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) member companies and their employees receive discounted rates on all GSI webinar and short course registrations.
The estimated societal cost of various types of landslides in the U.S. is estimated at $2–5 billion and worldwide might even approach $10 billion. The percentage triggered by water-induced (either external or internal) erosion is certainly the major contributor. While the mechanisms of soil erosion are well-known (consisting of detachment, transportation and deposition), its control has many different materials possibilities. This webinar will present the various approaches, using:
- temporary biodegradables (natural materials)
- long-term polymeric (geosynthetics)
- hard armor systems (rock, concrete, etc.)
Focus will be on the second category and particularly on turf reinforcement mats and product testing including ASTM (small scale), TRI (large scale) and field test sites.
Two design approaches will be shown with numeric examples. They are the universal soil loss equation (USLE) method for slopes, and velocity/shear stress methods for channels and ditches. They will be critiqued accordingly.
A summary of the webinar and recommendations (including turf reinforcement mat and geocell specifications) will be offered including an appeal for instrumented field monitoring research and subsequent analytic modeling.
Participants will become familiar with the classification methodology for this enormous group of products used under the general term of erosion control and mitigation. The status of testing will be described and illustrated for both index and performance testing. Full-scale field acceptance evaluation will be mentioned. Lastly, design for the two quite different scenarios, slopes versus channel/ditches will be illustrated with numeric examples. Recently approved product specifications for turf reinforcement mats and geocells will be presented along with testing details. Conclusions and recommendations will be offered accordingly.
This webinar will be beneficial to public and private owners of housing, industrial, recreational and related projects in terrain where slopes are natural or constructed; consultants and designers in the private sector; regulators and agency personnel at the federal, state and local levels; geosynthetic manufacturers and their representatives; geotechnical and geosynthetic testing organization personnel; contractors and installers of erosion control systems; academic and research groups; and others desiring technically related information on this important aspect of our constructed environment.
Webinar instructor
George R. Koerner, Ph.D., P.E. and CQQ is the director of the Geosynthetic Institute. He is in charge of laboratory accreditation, field certification and continuing education at the institute. He also manages several research projects and has published more than 350 technical papers in his 35-year association with polymers used in below-ground construction. Koerner’s Ph.D. is from Drexel University in geotechnical engineering. He is a registered professional engineer and a certified quality auditor. Koerner has received many awards over the years. The most notable being IFAI’s Environmental Technologies Award of Excellence 1995, ASCE’s DVGI Geotechnical Engineer of the year in 2004, the title of ASTM Fellow in 2013 and GMA’s first Robert M. Koerner Lecture and Award in 2017.
***
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.