SYNOPSIS

Generally, soils are inherently weak in tension and some types, especially soft clays, have low shear strength and low permeability. In the past, engineers would use natural materials to improve the soils. For example, using bamboo allows an embankment to be built on soft ground. But, with new technology, geosynthetics are now commonly used in the construction industry to improve the soils and thus allow for construction works to be carried out effectively (in terms of cost and time), practically and in an environmentally friendly manner. Geosynthetics are used extensively in the construction industry, especially in geotechnical engineering applications, to provide technical practicality and cost-effective solutions. Although relevant standards and handbooks are available, engineers might still face difficulties to specify the appropriate geosynthetics products to meet their project requirements. This webinar shall provide an overview on geosynthetics by introducing the different types of geosynthetics materials, their functions, and some aspects of quality control for the materials. Subsequently, the application of geosynthetics for reinforced soil wall and slope, basal reinforcement and ground stabilisation will be discussed in greater detail.


BIODATA OF SPEAKERS

Mr. Chris Lawson is the Technical Director for TenCate Geosynthetics Group. Chris received his Engineering Degrees from The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He has worked in the has served on a number of international organizations developing Standards and Codes of Practice, including BS8006 a British Standard Code of Practice for Soil Reinforcement. Chris has acted as technical advisor on many large scale geosynthetics projects in the field of embankments, reinforced soil techniques and coastal, hydraulic and environmental engineering in Australia, Asia and Europe. He is the author of over 50 technical papers on geosynthetics, geotechnical engineering and hydraulic and marine engineering. He has been the keynote speaker at numerous conferences and symposia. He is an ex-Council Member of the International Geosynthetics Society. In 2006, Chris was invited to present the Third Giroud Lecture at the 8th International Conference on Geosynthetics in Yokohama, Japan.

Mr. Michael Dobie is a Geotechnical Engineer with more than 40 years of experience, including 30 years working in SE Asia (Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia). He graduated from Bristol University with a BSc in Civil Engineering, then a few years later from Imperial College, London with an MSc in Soil Mechanics. His experience includes working for consulting engineers (WS Atkins & Partners and Acer Freeman Fox) and for geotechnical specialists (Delft Soil Mechanics Laboratory and Dames & Moore). One assignment consisted of setting up and running the Central Soils Laboratory (CSL) in Bangi, Malaysia for the North-South Expressway project. Since early 1991 Mike has been employed by Tensar International Limited as Regional Manager for Asia Pacific. He has had extensive input into the development of design methods and software, including the design of reinforced soil structures under seismic loading conditions. Mike’s office is in Jakarta, Indonesia. Locally he is a Member of HATTI (Indonesian Geotechnical Society), and Vice President of the Indonesian Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society (INAIGS). He is a Chartered engineer, a Fellow of ICE and also a Fellow of CIHT. He is currently the Chairman of the South-East Asian Sub-Committee of ICE.”