American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTM
Standards and Codes

ASTM Updates September 2009

American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTMThis post contains a summary of geotechnical, materials testing, geosynthetic and related testing standards that were updated by ASTM during the month of September. This month there were not as many updates as the last couple, but a few that caught my eye are a new standard for measuring geosynthetic-soil resilient interface shear stiffness, a revision to the standard practice for laboratories testing concrete and concrete aggregates for use in construction and criteria for laboratory evaluation and a revision to the standard for measuring slump flow of self-consolidating concrete.

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American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTM
Standards and Codes

ASTM Updates August 2009

American Society of Testing Materials Logo - ASTMAnother busy month for ASTM with 66 new, revised or otherwise updated standards related to geotechnical and geological engineering (although not as busy as last month). A couple that caught my eye include brand new standards for geospatial data requirements related to abandoned mines, a new standard for sampling of EPS or geofoam, updated standards for mortar and cement, flexural strength of concrete, LA Abrasion test for aggregates, acceptance testing of geosynthetic clay liners, electrical methods for leak detection of geomembranes with earth cover and classification of soils and soil-aggregate mixtures for highway construction purpose (AASHTO classification).

Those involved in the materials testing side of the business should take a close look at the full list as there are also a number of updated standards relating to various asphalt and and aggregate tests, capping of concrete cyllinders and other related testing standards.

For my practice, perhaps the most significant standard that was updated was D 2488 – Standard Practice for Description and Identification of Soils (Visual-Manual Procedure) which we rely on for our field USCS classifications. I’ll be curious to see what those changes entail. Click through for the full list.

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Press Releases

TenCate opens new factory in China for the growing geosynthetic market

Royal Ten Cate
Almelo, The Netherlands, 13 June 2008

Today marks the opening by Royal Ten Cate (Koninklijke Ten Cate nv) of its new factory for geosynthetic materials near the city of Zhuhai (pop. 1.5 m) in Guangdong province, China. TenCate Geosynthetics will use this plant to produce textiles for the strongly growing Asian market. The initial workforce will number some 150. [Editor] (At left: TenCate Mirafi® N-Series non-woven geotextile.) Click through for the rest of the press release. Source: Geosynthetica. [/Editor]

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Failures

Continuing Problems for Ohio Landfill

The Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facilities in Stark County, Ohio have a new round of problems. There has been much debate over an underground fire reportedly caused by the disposal of aluminum dross waste, a byproduct of aluminum production, dumped between 1993 and 2001. The site has long received complaints for odors and for a long time denied that there was a fire. They have also had problems with slope stability, including a failure of a portion of the south slope in 2006, possibly a result of the destabilizing effect of the fire. Early this year the Ohio EPA cited the facility for violating 8 environmental regulations after waste was found to have migrated outside the permited waste area.

Their latest problems involve a tear or leak of a geosynthetic lining that caps the facility to control gas and odors from the underground fires and regular landfill gas. The leak resulted in 500 to 5,000 gallons of leachate spilling into a sediment pond. The material fortunately did not leave the site and was pumped out of the pond and transfered to a treatment plant where their leachate usually goes. The landfill, one of the largest in Ohio, handles about 6,000 tons of trash a day, including about half of Summit County’s residential garbage.

Story by way of Geosynthetica. Image from Long Live the Village Green.

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No Picture
Available Resources

Geosynthetics Manufacturer Posts Product Videos

Gundle/SLT Environmental, Inc. (GSE) is a manufacturer and marketer of geosynthetic lining products and services in the following markets: agriculture, aquaculture, canals, civil, golf courses, mining, power, sportsfields, stormwater retention, waste containment, wastewater, and other industrial applications. They have recently released a series of product videos on YouTube. But you don’t have to search for them yourself, you can watch them right here on GeoPrac, just read on! Thanks to Geosynthetica.net for the heads up.

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