SYNOPSIS

In cases where soft soils are encountered on project sites, there is often an immediate consideration that geosynthetics might be used in some way to facilitate the proposed construction.  Although geosynthetics may often offer a good solution, aspects of their application and limitations are sometimes misunderstood.  This talk will mainly address the issues of constructing pavements and fills over soft soils, looking at the opportunities where the use of geosynthetics to stabilise or reinforce the fill materials may provide substantial benefits.  The talk will also cover the limitations of such applications, and will discuss whether the benefits to be gained are in terms of controlling deformation or improving stability, or a combination of both.  As with all soft soils problems, the starting point is good geotechnical data, which is an essential ingredient of coming to a suitable solution.  The forms of structure covered will include: (a) pavements (unpaved and paved), (b) working platforms, (c) low fills, (d) high fills, (e) special cases and (f) transitions.


PROFILE OF SPEAKER

Mr. Michael Dobie is a practising geotechnical engineer, graduating in civil engineering from Bristol University (UK) and later obtaining a master’s degree in soil mechanics from Imperial College, London.  He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK).  Since graduating in 1973, he has worked in the field of geotechnical engineering for British consultant WS Atkins & Partners, the Delft Soil Mechanics Laboratory in the Netherlands and Singapore, and American specialist consultant Dames & Moore.  More recently he has worked for Acer Consultants (now Hyder Consultants, previously Freeman Fox & Partners), being seconded to establish the Central Soils Laboratory (CSL) in Bangi, to provide high quality soil testing for the North-South Expressway.  Mike joined Tensar International in 1991 and currently is the Regional Manager (Asia Pacific) based in Jakarta with responsibilities for the development of design methods and software for both reinforced soil structures and mechanical stabilisation techniques.