Geotextile Tubes:
Coastal, Structural and Dewatering
Design and Applications

This new training opportunity provides you with the latest industry developments and applications for geotextile tubes in structural and dewatering situations - plus intro to GeoCoPS design software.

Register Online!

October 20, 21, 22, 2009

LOCATION: -
University of Delaware Campus
Newark, Delaware

(2.4 ceu's or 24 professional development hours awarded for full participation)

"I was present at Doug Gaffney's presentation during the past Geosynthetics Conference in Cancun and it was very good and showed great knowledge of the subject. The potential of geotubes in modern engineering is so vast .... "
Nicky Araujo, Consultant
Previous Engineering Outreach
course participant - from Costa Rico!

This practical training program will thoroughly acquaint you with geotextile tubes and their uses.  Practitioners seeking to understand the benefits of geotextile tubes in coastal and structural applications will clearly benefit from Days 1 & 2. Those working in the environmental field will not only want to understand design factors covered on Day 2, but won't want to miss the sediment dewatering and containment applications covered on Day 3.  Day 2 covers design topics needed by all geotextile tube practitioners and includes the use of GeoCoPS.  Choose the training that is right for you: 

• Coastal and Structural Engineering Applications (Oct. 20-21)
• Dewatering and Other Environmental Applications(Oct. 21-22)
• The full geotextile tube course (Oct. 20, 21 & 22)

Coastal and riverine structural applications include the design of sand-filled geotextile tubes and bags for economical structures such as dune cores, perimeter dikes, breakwaters, bluff protection, groins, jetties and hurricane protection barriers.  Engineers and water resource managers rely on sand-filled geotextile tubes as one economical approach to building protective structures.  Geotextile tubes are also used for dewatering fine grained material resulting from operations such as dredging, municipal wastewater and water treatment plants, mining, paper mills, coal mines, and fly ash.  Dewatering high moisture content fines from industrial processes has proven to be technically and economically feasible. 

This training program presents the latest geotextile tube design, fabrication methods, containment techniques, fabric material specifications, and test methods.  Basic design issues and approaches will be presented for all elements of dewatering fine grained materials as well as marine and riverine erosion control structures.

AGENDA

Each day: 7:30 a.m. continental breakfast
Class Times: Tues, Wed, Thurs,October 20, 21, 22: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Using a combination of lectures, case studies with lessons learned, and numerous example problems, student exercises and discussion, this course covers detailed design and construction methods, emphasizing practical application of engineering principles and how those principles impact performance, construction and operation of geotextile bag, tube, and container systems. Specific topics include:

Day 1 - COASTAL and STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS:

• Introduction to Geotextiles and Geotextile Tubes
• Introduction to Coastal Engineering
• Introduction to Soils Engineering
• Design of river control structures, wetland creation and wetland protection
• Specification writing
• Methods of filling tubes
• Dredging, erosion, and structural applications, including:
  • groins
  • offshore breakwaters
  • stream bank erosion
  • hurricane flood protection levees
  • sand dune stabilization
  • dikes for confined dredged material disposal facilities

Day 2 - DESIGN FACTORS:

• Geotextile index and performance properties - ways to increase durability
• Introduction to GeoCoPS - an interactive program, version 1.0 of which was developed by ADAMA Engineering (formerly Leshchinsky, Inc.) for the design of geosynthetic tubes. 
• High moisture content fill materials
• Design of Hybrid Solutions
• IMPORTANT NOTE: Bring a calculator for problem-solving sessions, as well as your laptop computer on which the GeoCoPS software will be temporarily loaded to run on the Windows operating system.

Day 3 - DEWATERING/ENVIRONMENTAL APPLICATIONS:

• Introduction to Dewatering
• Planning, design, and construction of projects using geotextile bags, tubes, and containers in the following technical areas:
  • Dewatering/containment of fine grained dredged materials such as sediment, municipal sewage sludge, farm animal waste, and water treatment plant waste (alum and lime)
  • Dewatering and containment of industrial sludge such as paper mill waste, fly ash, potash, phosphate, and mine tailing lagoons
• Hanging bag testing and bench scale testing, with and without polymers, plus ASTM test methods necessary for design and fabrication.

Who Should Attend
Engineers, construction inspectors, specifiers, dredging and construction personnel, regulators, geosynthetics manufacturers and other professionals associated with marine and riverine projects, or projects involving dewatering and containment of fine grained wastes, industrial waste, drinking water, waste water, and mining industries.  A technical background in hydraulics, geotechnical engineering, water resources planning, construction, sciences, or related fields, and/or technical work experience is desirable, but not essential.  Facility owners and managers will gain a greater understanding of potential cost savings in constructing soil-filled structures versus traditional materials, and containment, volume reduction, and dewatering of fine grained material.

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Use the latest design and construction techniques for successful implementation of geotextile tube, bag and container systems
• Understand geotextile test methods and fabric properties needed to design and construct high-performing geotextile tubes and bags
• Be aware of the latest computer programs for geotextile tube design
• Use numerical approaches to determine bulking, consolidation and shrinkage of fine grained dredged materials in geotextile tubes
• Determine parameters for successful geotextile tube design and performance
• Benefit from networking with peers from across the world and learning from their experience on other projects

The Presenters

Dov Leshchinsky, PhD. is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Delaware. He has developed design methods, including geosynthetic reinforced slopes and walls, that are being used worldwide. Dr. Leshchinsky holds the PhD in geotechnical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as bachelor and master's degrees in civil engineering from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. His research interests are in the areas of soil-structure interaction, slope stability engineering, soil reinforcing and ground improvement. Prior to joining Delaware's faculty, he was a research engineer with the Association of American Railroads.

Douglas A. Gaffney, P.E., is the Regional Director of Ocean and Coastal Consultants' New Jersey office and is a professional engineer.  Mr. Gaffney has a Master of Science degree in Marine Studies from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.  He has been involved in the design and application of geotextile tubes since 1997 when he worked for Synthetic Industries.  In addition to his recent seminar teaching experience at national geosynthetics conferences, Mr. Gaffney has been involved with the design and construction of many geotextile tube installations as a consultant.  He is currently working on the design of geotextile tube revetments at a coastal development in the Caribbean, and the development of new geotextiles.

Registration and General Information

Registration is limited due to the highly interactive nature of this course.

Program Fee includes extensive course notes; continental breakfast, and all breaks. Lunches are not provided; however, Newark offers convenient options.

• COASTAL & STRUCTURAL Applications (October 20 & 21, 2009)
• DEWATERING/ENVIRONMENTAL Applications (October 21 & 22, 2009)
  Group Registrations for either 2-day course option: $595/person when 3 or more registrants are from the same company
  Individual Registrations for either 2-day course option: $695/person

• THE FULL GEOTEXTILE TUBE COURSE (October 20, 21 & 22, 2009)
  Group Registrations for the 3-day course option: $795/person when 3 or more registrants are from the same company
  Individual Registrations for the 3-day course option: $895/person
  

Enrollment Deadline: Monday October 5, 2009. Late registrations will be accepted until Tuesday, October 13, 2009.

Cancellations and Substitutions: Refunds will be granted if the request is received in writing by October 5. Substitutions are permitted up through the first day of the course.

Registration Confirmation: A letter of confirmation will be sent on or before October 5, and will include directions to campus/parking. Registrations received after October 6th will be confirmed by e-mail as well as a registration package sent to the home address, to insure the registrant has received directions to campus/parking.

Accommodations & Transportation: Participants are responsible for making their own housing and transportation arrangements.  Air transportation should be arranged to either Philadelphia or Baltimore airport.  Call early and ask if the University of Delaware affiliated rates are available for the dates you are requesting from the following hotels:
Courtyard by Marriott - UD Campus Hotel - 400 Pencader Way, Newark, DE, 1-302-737-0900
The following are each about one mile from campus:
Sleep Inn - 630 S. College Ave.(Rt.896N), Newark, DE, 1-302-453-1700
Howard Johnson Inn - 1119 S. College Ave., Newark, DE, 1-302-368-8521

Register Online!