GeoNews May 2010 Newsletter - Global Synthetics

ACETex ® – InnovativeGround ImprovementApplicationFigure 1TYPICAL ARRANGEMENT – LOAD TRANSFER MAT (LTM)LTM MATERIAL150mm 300mm 300mmACETex LONGITUDINAL STRUCTURAL GEOTEXTILEACETex TRANSVERSE STRUCTURAL GEOTEXTILEBrisbane’s continued growth in recenttimes has seen the need to undertake majorinfrastructure works to improve the flow of trafficaround the city. In 2008, the QueenslandGovernment appointed Brisconnections (whocontracted work to Thiess John Holland) tocommence Australia’s largest infrastructureproject, worth $4.8 billion. The works comprisethree main sections, the Northern Busway,Airport Link and the Airport Roundabout Upgrade.The Airport Link is a 6.7km toll road passingthrough the inner north suburbs of Wooloowin,Kedron, Toombul and Hendra before meetingwith the Airport Roundabout Upgrade works.Much of the road was to be constructed throughlow lying relatively soft ground requiring groundimprovement to accommodate the works.Global Synthetics has supplied manythousands of square metres of Geosyntheticsto aid in ground improvement at the site.ProFab nonwoven geotextiles have been usedfor separation under embankment fill, Secugridbiaxial geogrids for reinforcement of workingplatforms and access roads and ACETexstructural reinforcement geotextiles for theLoad Transfer Mats (LTM).Many of the road sections parallel with theexisting East West Arterial Road required elevatedembankments and flyovers to cross existingroadways. The rigid abutments around flyoversand elevated roadways were founded onControlled Modulus Columns (CMC ® ).Where the piled sections ofroadways transitioned totraditional, more flexible earthfilled embankments, the designcalled for an LTM to more evenlydistribute imposed loads, reduce lateral loadson outer piles, eliminate the need for pile capsand to minimise differential settlements.The LTM sits over the CMC piles andconsists of a granular blanket reinforced in twodirections (longitudinal and transverse inrelation to the roadway alignment) by a highstrength structural ACETex reinforcementgeotextile. Each layer of geotextile is separatedby a 300mm granular layer (see Figure 1).The specification for the reinforcementgeotextile within the LTM was for a workingstrength of 180kN/m @ 5% total strain, limitedto 2% creep strain at a 120 year design life.ACETex GT500 woven polyester reinforcementgeotextile was proposed and selected for useas it satisfied all of the technical requirementsof the specification and provided a commerciallyattractive solution. An isochronous stressstrain relationship curve is required(introducing a time variable relationshipbetween load and strain) when assessing highstrength reinforcement geotextiles todetermine the available stress at the nominatedlevel of strain and time. Ignoring the strain/timerelationship can lead to an underestimation ofproduct strength being offered against the450mmøPILESspecification. The ACETex GT500 is producedwith an ultimate tensile strength of 500kN/mat an ultimate total strain of 10% but with veryhigh resistance to creep strain effects overlong periods of time.The reinforcement geotextile selectionprocess highlighted the limited understanding ofthe technical specification performancerequirements, even by competing suppliers ofsuch material. Global Synthetics was believed tobe the only geotextile supply company tounderstand the specification and offer a productthat met the technical requirements of thespecification.Global Synthetics have proudly supportedThiess John Holland in the delivery of theAirport Link Project and continue to supplyvarious geotextiles and subsoil drainageproducts for the project.The use of an LTM reinforced with ACETexreinforcement structural geotextile over CMCpiles is a relatively new ground improvementtechnique in construction over soft groundconditions and has been successfully applied inthe Airport Link Project (main photo).For more information contactjason@globalsynthetics.com.au

Global Lining SystemsProtect Red HillSituated on the fringe of the Perthmetropolitan area within the DarlingEscarpment, the Red Hill Waste ManagementFacility is another example of one of the moreprogressive and highly developed waste facilitiesin Australia. Red Hill adopts the more modernprinciples of award winning sanitary landfilldesign, including leachate collection andmethane gas capture, which have enabled thesite to maintain its operating status within theDEC (Department of Environment & Conservation)guidelines for the last 22 years.Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC)who owns and runs the facility, designed thelatest waste cell with stringent criteria in mindgiven its Class III classification. Farm Stage 1incorporated a special ‘high asperity’ texturedProLiner ® HDPE geomembrane enabling ahigher friction coefficient on the steeper battersthan standard textured liners. Global Syntheticssupplied over 50,000m 2 of 2.00mm ProLinerHDPE geomembrane which can be custommanufactured to specific project parametersincluding high asperity, along with provisionsfor onerous chemical and UV requirements.ProLiner’s 8m roll width also allows fasterdeployment and fewer longitudinal seaming thanthe more common HDPE liners in the market.Paramount in all high profile lining applicationsis the use of a high performance cushiongeotextile. Farm Stage 1 incorporated ProFabAS680 heavy weight geotextile which carries aminimum of 600g/m 2 of nonwoven fibre, designedto protect the ProLiner HDPE from the underlyingcoarse subgrade and overlying fill material.ProFab ® cushion geotextiles are needledwith staple fibre to produce a tightly orientedstructure. Independent tests have proven thatthese higher density geotextiles perform betterthan the looser structured geotextiles underpuncture and compression loads which aretypical in cushioning applications.ProFab AS680 was also utilised as a filterand separation layer for the lateral leachatecollection channels at the base of the cell. Thedense fibre structure of ProFab enables superiorfines retention whilst still allowing a generouspermeability due to its staple fibre orientation.Principal contractor – CECK Civil Construction,and specialist lining installer – Advanced LiningTechnologies Australia, delivered the Farm Stage1 scope to its client on time and on budget.For more information contactsean@globalsynthetics.com.auNews from New ZealandThis seven metre high structure,a quarry loading platform engineered to takethe weight of a fully loaded MOXY dump truck,is designed to take 78 tonne loadings (see left).ACEGrid soil reinforcement geogrid is thestrength behind this wall, being chosen for bothits excellent design properties and ease of useand installation. The contractor on site had towork to very tight tolerances when placing thegrid, with each layer closely spaced.The correct placement of each layer at thespecified design height combined with adequatecompaction is critical to the success of such aproject. In this situation ACEGrid excels becauseof its high resistance to installation damage,wide rolls and ease of placement with no recoiltendencies. ACEGrid is tested in conjunction withthe major facing block systems available in NewZealand and detailed software is available fordesign purposes. Of course fully accredited QAsystems are in place to maintain product quality.Designing a wall of this magnitude requiresan in depth knowledge of critical failure modes,Global Synthetics New Zealand distributor CirtexIndustries can provide all test data requiredfor both generic wall design and specific soilreinforced block systems.Storm Damage on the New ZealandCoromandel Peninsula has been all toocommon over the last few years. A number ofroad slips have occurred that required a rapidresponse from the geosynthetic supplier.Soil reinforced earth walls and slopes are aspecialty area that requires specialist assistance.The New Zealand distributor of Global Syntheticsproducts, Cirtex Industries, quickly responded tothe project demands.Cirtex supplied the Uniaxial primary geogrid,the Biaxial secondary geogrid and the geotextilefor this project (see left). Once again the chosenreinforcement geogrid, ACEGrid, proved a winnerwith both designers and contractors for itsdesign properties and ease of use. The ACEGridgeogrid is a polyester woven product that offersexceptional long term design strength and doesnot suffer from memory “recoil”.These slip repairs used the GG40 productfrom the ACEGrid range with a 1m design liftbetween primary layers, and with some additionalsecondary grid layers at 250mm centre’s toprevent local face instability.Take a look at how even and straight the facingis thanks to both the skill of the contractorsand the wide rolls of easy handling geogrid.For more information in New Zealand contactlarry@cirtex.co.nzTake advantage of the Cirtex FREE DESIGN ADVICE SERVICE for your next project, and see how CirtexIndustries can help reduce the overall outlay by utilizing our extensive range of advanced geosynthetics.

Stormwater Solution atAustralia’s Largest AirportAGlobal Synthetics stormwater drainagesolution was selected for use by TotalConstructions as the best practice for on siteinfiltration at a Sydney Airport project.The contractor selected the Rainsmart modularbelow ground tank based on its ease of installationseries of complex geotechnical issuesA faced the engineer at an eco-friendly resortin Queensland. The owners were worried that theslope on which the central reception/dining areawas built was unstable.The challenge was to ensure that surfaceerosion was minimised and at the same timerectify a number of shallow slip failures evidentwithin the slope.The ArmorMax ® system was selected becauseit uniquely blends the engineering characteristicsof a High Performance Turf Reinforcement Mat,Pyramat, to protect the slope from future erosionissues with a system of percussive soil anchorsthat will effectively intersect shallow failureplanes within the slope.Once tensioned the anchors create a“frustum cone” of super-compressed soil thatBefore Afterand cost saving benefits compared to that of otherequally performing systems.Infiltration is the most preferred method ofstorm water management when downstreamdischarge facilities are not present or when postdevelopment runoff volume is limited.The Tank modules are wrapped in ProFab®nonwoven geotextile and buried in the permeablesoils found at this site. The Rainsmart infiltrationsystem helps to recharge the ground wateraquifers and provide moisture for surroundingvegetation. Infiltration systems are EPA recognizedstorm water best management practice.To minimise installation time Global Syntheticsconstructed the individual Rainsmart modules“in house” prior to shipment to site. Having themodules supplied already constructed allowed thecontractor to prepare the site prior to modulesarriving, allowing for a quick and easy installationArmorMax ® makes its debut in Australiaincreases slope stability.The ArmorMax ® system was installed byGroundwork Services Pty Ltd, one of GlobalSynthetics specialist partner companies.For more information contactsteve@globalsynthetics.com.auof the infiltration tank.The Rainsmart under ground modular infiltrationtank, with an approximate 75,000 litre capacity,was installed within two days.The area above the infiltration tank is now fullylandscaped providing a visually attractive areawhile below ground the tank provides positiveground water recharge.For more information contactchris@globalsynthetics.com.auExhibitionsGlobal Synthetics was proud to haverecently participated in the IPWEA 2010WA Conference.The aim of this annual conference is tobuild knowledge and participation in thedevelopment of public works engineering.The conference theme was ‘How publicworks engineers lead, inspire,communicate in building bettercommunities’.Over 250 delegates attended the two-dayconference and Global Synthetics presentedtwo technical papers:n Modular Stormwater Tanks –Infiltration and Storagen Soft Armour Erosion Control –Engineered Turf ReinforcementMattingFor copies of these papers, or for any furtherinformation you may require, please contactsteve@globalsynthetics.com.auGlobal Synthetics will be exhibiting at thefollowing upcoming events. Come and meetyour Global representative.n Enviro 2010 Conference & Exhibition– 21-23 July 2010 at the MelbourneConvention and Exhibition Centre.n Stormwater 10 – Stormwater IndustryAssociation National Conference– 8-12 November 2010 at Star City Hoteland Casino, Sydney.www.globalsynthetics.com.au June 09For a comprehensive product catalogue, please email info@globalsynthetics.com.auCall our Geosynthetic experts on:n Sydney PHONE: (02) 9631 0744n PERTH PHONE: (08) 9459 4300n BRISBANE PHONE: (07) 3865 7000n ADELAIDE PHONE: 0416 555 877n DARWIN PHONE: 0411 171 737n HOBART PHONE: 0410 665 016n MELBOURNE PHONE: 0410 665 016Australian Company // Global Expertise2/10