JOURNAL ARTICLES

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) expanded its student internship program to three companies and six interns during the summer of 2017. The first year of the internship program in 2016, one intern worked for Colorado Lining International (CLI) at various sites in the United States. The main objectives of the program are to introduce future civil engineers to the field of geosynthetics field, civil engineering construction, and provide a connection between possible future employers and the many undergraduate (~2,400) and graduate students (~1,200) at the UIUC.

The authors gave an overview of how geosynthetic products are designed and tested to ensure they will fulfil their intended function, focusing on applications to irrigation, drainage and agriculture. A few key considerations were identified as being critical to ensure proper performance of geosynthetic materials, in geotechnical projects in general and in agriculture in particular. The

Resisting animal and insect attacks of geomembranes is an interesting problem. Geomembrane installers and manufacturers have had numerous geomembranes damaged by bears, deer, coyotes, birds, beavers and ground squirrels. In most cases, the damage is incidental to something else the animal is seeking. Deer damage the liner with their hooves trying to climb out. Bears dig through the liner to try and find something on the other side (organic matter left under a liner in a retrofit). Coyotes burrow under the liner on the slope to create a den that doesn’t freeze.

Torsional ring shear tests were conducted to investigate Soil/Geosynthetic Interface Strengths of various geomembranes. The effect of texturing and material properties on shear strength and soil interaction are presented in this paper and compared with existing interface strength values.

The Fabricated Geomembrane Institute (FGI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, presented its inaugural Fabricated Geomembrane Engineering Innovation Award to Hilts Consulting Group of Yorba Linda, California, on 11 May, 2016 during its annual membership meeting in Miami Beach, Florida during Geo-Americas 2016. The Fabricated Geomembrane Engineering Innovation Award provides recognition for engineers who have creatively used fabricated geomembranes to successfully fulfill a client’s need including technical requirements, scheduling, and budget. Hilts Consulting Group was selected as the recipient for the award based on their Morro Reservoir Project in Fallbrook, California.