Maturing of an industry: the need and development of generic specifications

摘要

The past 25-years of geosynthetics development have seen the identification of distinct categories of products, e.g., geotextiles, geomembranes, etc. Within each category there are variations, yet the common characteristics are so great that many feel generic specifications can (and should) be developed. Such specifications are greatly desired by the user community consisting of regulators, owners, designers and their respective specifying personnel. Some manufacturers are also supportive of such efforts so as to reduce the number of required variations within a specific product. This would help to reduce inventory and aide in just-in-time delivery. Specifications developed to date include four related to geomembranes, two to geotextiles and one to geonets. The paper presents the process that has been used to develop the above mentioned generic specifications. Selected example specifications are commented upon and three are presented. As with any maturing industry, the authors feel that the time has come for the development of generic specifications on certain geosynthetic materials which are used in common applications.