Welding help for the Guangzhou Metro

October 7, 2009  |  Case Studies

A major urban rail project in southeast China uses new welders to get the job done on time. By Christophe von Arx Introduction Guangzhou, previously known as Canton, is a thriving city in the southeast of China with an estimated population of more than 10 million, with an estimated 15 million living…
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History, development, and future prospects for geosynthetics industries in China (Part 2 of 2)

October 7, 2009  |  Features, News

By Jingkui Chi Editor’s note: Part 1 of this 2-part series ran in the August/September issue of Geosynthetics. Following the Abstract, Part 2 concludes with sections 3 and 4 of this manuscript. Abstract This article presents an introduction to the development of China’s geosynthetic prod…
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Geocells: The early days with the Army Corps

October 7, 2009  |  Products

What many people may not know about the early development of the geocell cellular confinement system is that the material wasn’t always black. In fact, early testing of a “grid confinement” system included wax-coated craft paper; a plastic drainage pipe matrix fastened with staples…
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The professor training courses for geosynthetics: 1994-1998

October 7, 2009  |  Features, News

By David J. Elton and David M. Shannon Introduction Fifteen years ago, the Professor Training Course for Geosynthetics began training U.S. professors to teach geosynthetics at the university level. This paper reviews how the course was conceived, funded and run, and examines the results. Origin The …
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Geosynthetics: Recalling the days of yore

October 7, 2009  |  Products

The history of geosynthetics has been richly documented by our scholars, researchers, writers, and manufacturers—to list but a handful of sources. Excerpts from these sources are offered here as a “look back.” Compiled and edited by Ron Bygness Magazine reports from the early &lsqu…
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Silver anniversary: the Tanque Verde retaining walls

October 7, 2009  |  Case Studies

By Ryan R. Berg, P.E., and Ronald P. Anderson, P.E. Introduction Some days it seems like we have been designing and constructing concrete-faced, geosynthetic-reinforced, mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls forever, and that this technique of constructing MSE walls has always been a conventiona…
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A young engineer, molasses, and failed sand drains

October 7, 2009  |  Case Studies

By Bob Koerner Prior to 1959, the chemical industry used sugar cane (mainly from Cuba) for its source of the carbohydrate sucrose used to produce ethyl alcohol for the manufacture of munitions and alcohol. When Fidel Castro came to power in 1959, this nearby source was abruptly eliminated and the al…
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Floating geomembrane cover improves biogas collection, heat retention, and odor control

October 7, 2009  |  Case Studies

Canadian corn products refiner, Casco Inc., upgraded its 4-million-gallon wastewater anaerobic digester to include a state-of-the-art insulated, floating geomembrane cover. By Jim McMahon Introduction Casco Inc. is all about the processing of corn products. As one of Canada’s biggest, and olde…
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Innovative applications for nonwoven geotextiles in concrete pavements

October 7, 2009  |  Case Studies

By Robert Rasmussen and Sabrina Garber Introduction Recent research published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), “Nonwoven Geotextile Interlayers for Separating Cementitious Pavement Layers: German Practice and U.S. Field Trials”1 focuses on innovative applications for nonwove…
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Concerns regarding spark testing

October 7, 2009  |  News

To the editor: While the August/September article on subsurface biofilters was very interesting in demonstrating the wide range of geosynthetics used, I have concerns with the description of spark testing. The method described was: “A probe with a current was passed above the seam with a 25mm …
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