GSI to host webinar on geomembrane punctures this Wednesday

Published On: April 6, 2020

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will sponsor a webinar, “Geomembrane Puncture,” on April 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST. Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA) member companies and their employees receive discounted rates on all GSI webinar and short course registrations.

The need for geomembranes to remain free of holes while in service is paramount to their long- term good performance as hydraulic barriers. It is imperative that we protect the geomembrane from puncture by stones, falling objects and gravel to assure continuity. This has been recognized for many years, but we are amazed at how casual we see even the technical community address this issue during design and construction.

There are presently several methods available for selecting geomembranes with good puncture resistance and the subsequent variety of geosynthetics to protect them. This presentation focuses on a range of both short-term and long-term tests focused on geomembrane puncture. The presentation will conclude with establishing the maximum amount of geomembrane strain at yield where no breaks or holes produced in in the geomembrane is identified.

Participants of this webinar will be exposed to various test methods, both short-term and long-term, which are used to determine puncture resistance in geomembranes. Illustrations will be used to help understand how to perform these test methods.

Intended Audiences

  • Consulting engineers and designers
  • Geosynthetic and soils testing laboratory personnel
  • Field CQA and CQC personnel for both materials and installation practices
  • Owners and operators of solid and liquid waste facilities as well as many other public facilities
  • Federal, state and local regulators in both environmental and transportation sectors of their respective mandates

Webinar Instructor

Dr. George R. Koerner is the director of the Geosynthetic Institute, a position that he has held since 2014. Koerner’s interest in geosynthetics spans his entire professional life from undergraduate work in the 1980s to the present. He holds his Ph.D. in civil, architectural and environmental engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pa. Koerner’s master thesis was on direct shear testing of geosynthetic interfaces and his doctoral dissertation was on landfill leachate clogging of soil and geosynthetic filters. Both are regularly cited to this day.

Koerner is a professional engineer in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and is an ASQC quality auditor.

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Webinars cost $200.00 for GSI and GMA members, and $250.00 for nonmembers. Successful completion of a multiple-choice test after the webinar carries 1.5 professional development hours (PDH).

For more information or to register, visit http://www.geosynthetic-institute.org/webinar.htm.