Lower trial weld strengths in polyethylene seams

October 1, 2023  |  GSI News

Polyethylene (PE) seaming techniques are used in the field to fabricate rolls of geomembranes into liner systems. There are two predominant methods used: hot wedge “fusion” welding and “extrusion” seaming. Over the past year, installers have noticed lower trial weld strength than in years pa…
Need for substitute surfactant for ASTM D5397

August 1, 2023  |  GSI News

It has been brought to our attention by the ASTM task group regarding ASTM D5397, Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Stress Crack Resistance of Polyolefin Geomembranes Using Notched Constant Tensile Load Test, that the surfactant used in this experiment (Igepal CO-630) is a regulated substance i…
Updated accelerated aging test for geomembranes

June 1, 2023  |  GSI News

The accelerated aging process is based on the relationship between temperature and chemical reaction rate, in which the reaction rate increases as temperature rises. Most accelerated aging tests use higher temperatures to accelerate the aging process by representing real-time aging artificially. A g…
Testing for tensile properties of geosynthetic straps

April 1, 2023  |  GSI News

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) now has a revised test method for determining the tensile properties of geosynthetic straps. They are an extremely strong reinforcement element for mechanically stabilized structures. These soil reinforcing elements consist of high-strength extensible geosynthetic re…
Connection strength of geosynthetics anchored in concrete

February 1, 2023  |  GSI News

Nearly all geomembrane installations are fixed at the perimeter of the containment by burying the liner in an anchor trench or by attaching it to concrete (i.e., a collar wall, foundation, ring wall, manhole, vault, etc.). The standard approach for connecting the geomembrane liner to concrete is to …
GSI Webinar – Quality Control/Quality Assurance of Waste Containment Systems – November 9

October 27, 2022  |  GSI News, News

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QA/QC) of Waste Containment Systems” on November 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) member companies and their employees receive discounted rate…
GSI’s annual Landreth “Steward of the Environment” award

October 1, 2022  |  GSI News

The Robert and Mitchell Landreth “Steward of the Environment” award was established in 2021. It is in honor of Robert Landreth (1939–2021) and his wife, Mitchell. The annual award is bestowed by the Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) in recognition of “distinguished engineering achievement related…
GSI Webinar – Applications and Design of Geotextile Tubes – September 7

August 25, 2022  |  GSI News, News, Webinars

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Applications and Design of Geotextile Tubes,” on September 7, 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…
An open solicitation to work on development of a new GSI specification for EIA geomembrane

August 1, 2022  |  GSI News

GSI has a long history of writing specifications for geosynthetics. Like all engineered materials, geosynthetics are used in many applications and need general requirements for plans and specifications. When the NSF ceased servicing NSF #54 “Specification for Geomembranes” in 1991, The Geosynthe…
New GSI test method for resistance of conductive geosynthetics

June 1, 2022  |  GSI News

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) has a new test method for resistance measured across positions on conductive geosynthetics. Conductive geosynthetics contain an electrically charged backing (usually a thin layer of polyolefin with letdowns containing 20%–30% carbon black) that allows leaks to be d…