Innovative geosynthetic solution saves 106-year-old Panama Canal structures

August 1, 2020  |  Case Studies, Features

By Tom Stephens and Nicolas Ruiz The Panama Canal opened for business 106 years ago and was hailed as the eighth wonder of the world and an engineering marvel. It has become the most consequential global waterway ever constructed. Since 1914, more than a million ships of all sizes have passed throug…
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PVC sheet piling for cutoff and containment barriers

August 1, 2020  |  Features

By Brendan Sheppard and Steve Hargrave Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet piling (Figure 1) has been used for more than 25 years in bulkheads throughout the United States and beyond as a replacement for steel, concrete and timber materials due to the high corrosion resistance it offers in marine environ…
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Enhanced moisture management of pavement systems through capillary suction

June 1, 2020  |  Features

By René B. Laprade and John M. Lostumbo Moisture within pavement layers is a principal cause of pavement deterioration (Cedergren 1994, Christopher and McGuffey 1997, Henry and Holtz 2001). Specific problems associated with moisture include (1) reduction in pavement strength caused by excess water …
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Assessment of condition of an uncovered geosynthetic landfill bottom liner system

June 1, 2020  |  Features

By James L. Hanson and Nazlı Yeşiller Composite liner systems consisting of geomembranes (GMs) placed over geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) commonly are used for containment applications. Such systems are used in base liners for ponds, reservoirs, basins and canals, and bottom and cover liner syste…
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High-strength geocell and geogrid hybrid reinforcement

June 1, 2020  |  Case Studies, Features

Compressor station gravel pad on soft subgrade By Sanat Pokharel, Timothy Yii, Marc Breault and Meisam Norouzi Infrastructure development in natural resources rich Alberta, Canada, often encounters very soft ground conditions that pose several construction and sustainability challenges to transporta…
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Geosynthetic strip MSE wall at Point Defiance Marina

April 1, 2020  |  Case Studies, Features

By Paul C. Frankenberger and Robert Lozano  This article will focus on a geosynthetic strip mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall case study using discrete geosynthetic strips with large precast facing panels (Figure 1), an innovation of the original MSE invention. The system is the Highway …
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Construction water flow dynamics of the leak detection layer

April 1, 2020  |  Features

By Abigail Gilson-Beck and Larry Shilling The double-lined containment facility featuring a leak detection system (LDS) is the most accurate way of assessing leakage through a primary geomembrane (Bonaparte and Gross 1992). This type of system also represents the gold standard for environmental prot…
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CSPE performance and history in long-term potable water storage applications

April 1, 2020  |  Features

By Brian Fraser, Steven Roades, Mike Neal and Alex Gersch Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE) is a synthetic rubber-based material manufactured by a calendaring process into multiple layers and combines with a polyester reinforcement fabric for additional strength. Hypalon is a DuPont trademark for…
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Erosion control using concrete-enhanced synthetic turf

February 1, 2020  |  Case Studies, Features

By Bradford H. Cooley and Bryan Scholl Concrete-enhanced synthetic turf (CEST) is a hardened revetment system best described as a fiber-reinforced, flexible concrete liner. It consists of a high-friction, impermeable geomembrane layer overlain by an engineered synthetic turf, which is infilled with …
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U.S. Bank Stadium geosynthetic reinforced stress relief wall

February 1, 2020  |  Case Studies, Features

Design, construction and fire damage mitigation By Nathan M. Lichty, Stephan M. Gale and Timothy P. Bendell Demolition of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., occurred in 2014 and subsequent construction of U.S. Bank Stadium (Figure 1), the home of the Minnesota Vikings an…
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