Case Studies

Gateway Upgrade Project

Due to increases in population growth throughout Brisbane and most particularly in developing southern and northern suburbs, with the subsequent increase in vehicle movements, the major North South Freeway connecting these suburbs to Brisbane was rapidly becoming traffic choked.

ACEGrid® – TOYOTA Forklift Site

In 2011, the Toyota Forklift site at Larapinta was to be raised and leveled as part of the site development. The existing boundary was to be raised to allow a concreted hardstand to be constructed above the retaining wall maintaining as much usable area as possible on the hardstand area.

ACEGrid® – Two Tree Hill

During the intense wet period of 2011 and 2013, Southeast Qld received record rainfall. Due to saturated soils, there were landslips creating many road closures in the rain affected areas. This particular failure occurred beside the Warrego Highway at Minden in the Lockyer Valley.

Combigrid® – Hardstand in Brisbane

In 2011, TRANSCITY was selected as the contractor to design, construct and operate the Legacy Way Toll Road in Brisbane’s west. Legacy Way, once complete, will connect the Western Freeway at Mount Coot-tha with the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove.

Combigrid® – Harvey Norman Platform

In 2011, it was planned to build granular piling rig access platforms to facilitate the installation of piles for support of the new Harvey Norman bulky goods project in Maroochydore in Australia to increase the low subgrade strength and to provide sufficient bearing capacity for the imposed loads of the cranes.

Berrinba Retaining wall

Reinforced Soil Structure Wall As industrial land on flat sites throughout the Brisbane area is now in short supply. Developers are moving to sloping sites and creating flat blocks by cut and fill earthworks.

Moreton Bay Rail Link

Moreton Bay Rail Link – Access Roads and Working Platforms  The $1.15 billion Moreton Bay Rail Link project will run from Petrie to Kippa Ring and is one of the mostly highly anticipated infrastructure projects in southeast Queensland.   The Problem The access roads and working platforms had to be built on a very soft […]

Reinforced Piling Platform – Northshore Stage 1, Hamilton

The efficient use of Combigrid® geocomposite and Secugrid® geogrid led to a more economic design and enabled a safe working platform on a poor subgrade conditions, coupled with high working loads. The original design had specified a single layer of 100 kN/m ultimate strength biaxial geogrid with about 800mm thick platform. The high stiffness of […]

Portside East Development

Background The Gallery House development at Portside East is a luxurious apartment project in Hamilton, Queensland. The project features a 19 and 20 storey building with approximate 169 apartments and 1100m retail space. It is constructed along the riverfront in Hamilton. The building will offer a convenience of easy access to the inner city and stylish waterfront living. Global […]

The Magic of Combigrid®/Secugrid® Reinforcement for Pilling Platforms -Gallery House Brisbane

As the construction site was adjacent to the Brisbane River, the existing poor sandy subgrade did not have the required bearing capacity to withstand the proposed 370kPa piling rig pressures to be applied during operations.

Forrest-Apollo Bay Road upgrade Skenes Creek Road Widening

AceGrid® reinforced slopes are performance proven techniques for road widenings and have been used widely in various projects in Australia (including the Eton Range Reinforced Slope in QLD as the largest reinforced slope in the southern hepishere).

Combigrid® Plenty Rd Upgrade- Stage 2

The Plenty Road Upgrade is occurring in two different stages. The upgrade will provide better access to jobs, schools, shops, and parks. Construction partner delivered the project, with major construction on Stage 1 completed in July 2019 and Stage 2 due to be complete by late 2020.

Marsden Cove , Northland NZ AceGrid®

Geosynthetics are generally placed between the subgrade and the material forming the working platform. In this circumstance, Global Synthetics was able to supply AceGrid ® GG400 which was further tailored and manufactured in special lengths to avoid wastage as the joints were not able to be joined. 

‘Controlling Reflective Cracking’

Global Synthetics were contacted to provide technical assistance in selecting the most suitable asphalt reinforcement geosynthetic product to reduce / inhibit reflective cracking and extend the fatigue life of the asphalt concrete layers. The asphalt reinforcement geosynthetic is to be an approved product meeting the TMR Technical Specification MRTS104 – Retarding Pavement Reflective Cracking using Asphalt Geosynthetics.

Bentofix® – Airport Sealing

One of the largest infrastructure projects in Europe in recent years has been in Toulouse-Blagnac in France on the premises of the airport and the Airbus factory where in future the new Airbus A 380 is to be built.

Bentofix® – Canadian Dam

The following example illustrates a project using a needlepunched geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) as a stand-alone sealing barrier for a retention dam built for Sainte-Marguertie hydroelectric dam.

Bentofix® – Canal Sealing

After the first pilot project installation of a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) in a 1 km long section of the Havel-Oder-Waterway in 1997/98, approved by the local German Water and Ship Authority a second project followed shortly after.

Bentofix® – Environmental Protection

The project had been discussed for more than 40 years before the three-laned road (width 11.50 m) was finally constructed in 2002.

Bentofix® – Flood Protection

The devasting flooding that took place in 2002 has led to various of dyke construction projects in order to be better prepared for future flood situations.

Bentofix® – Golf Course Lining

For the sealing of a base of golf course pond a 30 cm layer of sand benonite mixture was designed to be placed in Samsung Everland Gapyung Benest Golf course 60 km Northeast of Seoul.

Bentofix® – Landfill In Estonia

The largest landfill in Estonia, Pääsküla Landfill, just outside the capital city of Tallinn, was capped in 2005 with the work finishing in 2006. Although parts of the landfill had been in place for many years, substantial settlements were expected.

Bentofix® – Pipe Jacketing

The City of Bad Elster, Germany resolved to put in new sewage lines. Since this construction project was within a category II medical water preservation zone, secondary protection for piping was necessary to protect medical water in the area.

Bentofix® – Soil Contamination

When constructing or extending new roads, the responsible designers and contractors are increasingly faced with the task of preventing soil contamination. Therefore, measures for the protection of the groundwater are necessary in more and more cases.

Bentofix® – Waterproofing

One of the worlds largest pharmaceutical companies Eli Lilley is extending its facility at Windlesham near London in the U.K. The scheme comprises new research laboratories of 15,352 m² and includes ancillary offices. They are demolishing 3,869m² of the present building.

Hervey Range and Stuart Landfill Capping with Bentofix® X10F Coated GCL

Townsville City Council in the north of Queensland Australia is one of the largest regional cities in the northern part of Australia home to some 200,000 residents.  The Townsville Waste Services Department issued documentation for contract in late 2014 for capping and stormwater management of its 2 largest waste facilities at Stuart landfill and Hervey Range.

Goulburn Murray Water Channels

Goulburn Murray Water (GMW) services an area in excess of 68,000 square kilometres, providing over 1,500 GL (1,500,000,000,000 litres) of water to almost 40,000 customers.  The channels,  which provides the water to these customers encounter losses due to leaks and seepage.  To ensure and maintain GMW’s primary functions which includes harvesting, storing and delivering water, a solution is required.

Browns Plains Cell 2E Landfill

The Browns Plain Facility needed to ensure the construction of new cells minimised pollution streams such as waste leachate. The designer needed to develop a plan for providing a cost effective low permeable lining system based on the latest available technologies. In addition, the designer needed to check potential systems and research the findings to ensure the chosen system would meet local landfill guidelines. Most importantly,  they needed to control potential risks to ensure that any potential pollutants were addressed.

Sydney Trains choose Global Synthetics for emergency landslip remediation

An emergency fix was required, and geotechnical engineers from Sydney Trains utilised Global Synthetics' vast range of products to offer a fast and effective solution to help secure the soil and get the critical North Shore transport network back up and running.

ProDrain® – Welby Highway Cutting

The use of ProDrain® Strip Filter Drain is an ideal product for use in combination with stabilisation treatments of cliff faces and steep slopes with shotcrete face treatments.

South Golden Beach –Protank® Infiltration System

South Golden Beach –ProTank® Infiltration System ProTank® units wrapped in geotextile provides low cost solution for storm water runoff. The Problem The low-lying South Golden Beach is located just north of Brunswick Heads on the Far North Coast of NSW. The residents have endured many years of localised flooding of driveways and access to properties […]

Munno Para Auto Masters Store – ProTank® Detention System

A new Auto Masters store to be constructed in Adelaide’s north, was mandated by local authorities to include a storm water detention system to aid in mitigating flood events. Depth of existing services and limited building footprints limited the design options. The system had to meet a minimum holding capacity of 54,000 litres, later increased to 76,000 litres.

Wunan Medical Centre – Kununurra WA

The works Contractor contacted the design team at Global Synthetics for assistance. After some deliberation and consultation, ProTank® was put forward. ProTank® is a unique modular subsurface drainage system designed to collect water at its source. ProTank® has the flexibility to infiltrate, attenuate, detain or harvest water for re-use. It has been widely used for subsurface stormwater management across many projects Australia-wide. 

Hotel Rottnest- ProTank®

The ProTank stormwater management system was selected to satisfy the more critical hydraulic requirements of the project. Below ground volume and infiltration calculations were the main drivers behind the stormwater design, with attenuation being vital to overflow mitigation.

Currumbin Creek – Link Gabion Retaining Wall

Landslips that occurred during the extreme flooding in SE Qld in 2011 and 2013 caused extensive damage to the infrastructure in the area. Currumbin Creek Rd services many houses in Currumbin Valley and was majorly impacted by the downpour.

Walter’s Brook Restoration – Linkweld® Weldmesh Gabions

Walter’s Brook had become degraded due to large sediment deposits washing in from drain outlets and severe bank erosion due to inappropriate alignment of the drainage channel.

Sunrise Beach Slip Failure- Link Gabions

The use of Link Gabions on the face provided a flexible and porous retaining structure to retain the on site sand fill and ACEGrid® geogrid soil reinforcement kept costs low and allowed for a rapid repair to allow the road to be re-opened in a short matter of months later. 

John Moroney Correctional Centre – Miracell® Geocell

The geocell is used to hold growing media to establish a grass surface on the steep slopes. The contractor contacted Global Synthetics for an alternative solution.  The proposal was very conservative causing problems for the contractor.

Armormax® – Border Road

The Border Road and Fence Project is a 2,000+ mile (3219 km) project being constructed along the U.S.-Mexico Border from San Diego, CA to Brownsville, TX. The project is unique in that this road is being constructed with respect to political boundaries regardless of terrain.

Armormax® – California Highway

During the heavy rainy season in California’s Calaveras County, a steep cut 1:1 slope along Highway 26 became saturated, creating a shallow slope failure. Caltrans District 10 Maintenance, the department responsible for the repair, was tasked with repairing the slope quickly because of the threat of potential land slides to travellers as well as the negative environmental impact of sediment release into an adjacent sensitive waterway—the Mokelumne River.

Armormax® – Florida Canal

Surrounding elements played a role in influencing the design of this canal where Regal Boats test drives their watercraft. The back side of the canal had limited area for construction and backed up to a fence.

Armormax® – Gordy Pump Station

The first levee armoring project designed by the New Orleans District of the Corp of Engineers (COE) post Hurricane Katrina utilized ArmorMax®, an Anchored Reinforced Vegetation System.

Armormax® – Penn Levee

When Hurricane Katrina madelandfall on August 29, 2005 it caused devastating flood damage to large portions of southeastern Louisiana—but it was not the only hurricane to hit the area that year. Hurricane Rita made landfall in late September, causing catastrophic tidal inundation to the community of Lafitte as it passed south of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Landlok 450® – Channel Vegetation

Trailwood West Limited Partnership, a local developer in the Town of Payson, Arizona, wanted to develop 90 acres (36.4 hectares) of forested farmland into a 313-home subdivision. An existing channel with intermittent flow levels, known as the North Tributary of American Gulch, meandered through the project site, raising a stormwater concern with the Town.

Pyramat® – Blue Metal Hill

During construction of the Hume Highway the consortium tasked for the design and construction of this project encountered a number of environmentally sensitive areas through which clean water open drains had to be constructed. The original design called for traditional concrete drains and rock beaching.

Pyramat® – Albury

Due to continued development upstream, the potential for flooding was greatly increased by reduced opportunity for natural groundwater recharge by natural channels. The City of Albury were concerned this flood protection bank would fail and erode away during a significant storm event.

Landlok® – Sweetwater Creek

The original design for this drain on the Hume Highway was concrete, however due to wet conditions and poor access, this proved impossible to construct. Engineers for the project approached BTL Australia to investigate the use of Turf Reinforcement Mat (TRM) technology for a financially viable alternative.

Landlok® – Upgrade Mungabareena

Increasing flows due to development saw the need to widen the existing drain as heavy flows frequently breached the existing drain banks.

Landlok® 450 – Ohio Interstate

Widening of interstate highways can present challenging erosion control problems. The additional pavement surface will collect and convey more water in a shorter time during a given storm event.

Landlok® 450 – Texas DOT

In order to satisfy the Texas, U.S.A., Department of Transportation’s (TXDOT) needs for high quality erosion control materials, Propex Geosynthetics initiated testing of its Landlok® TRM 450 turf reinforcement mat with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The institute evaluated the performance characteristics of a variety of erosion control materials installed as channel linings.

Landlok® 450- Picnic Bay Landfill Rehabilitation

Townsville City Council has started to rehabilitate the Picnic Bay Landfill site. From May until September 2016; this has involved shaping the landfill and placing a temporary clay cap on the mound to prevent the exposure of the waste via erosion of the landfill surface. The temporary cap had to be protected and stabilised immediately to prevent erosion. A durable system was required due to very high to extreme UV index.

USACE ENGINEER RESEARCH DEV. CENTER VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) discovered that its Rapid Repair Levee Breach (RRLB) facility was deteriorating due to severe, rain-induced erosion. The RRLB facility, a part of the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), was designed to assist the USACE in determining practical and scientifically accurate engineering methods for evaluating the most challenging applications of flood protection materials.

70-MILE EARTHEN LEVEE GREATER NEW ORLEANS, LA

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District embarked on one of the largest and most comprehensive public works projects in American history following the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) program was begun shortly after Katrina, constructing over $14 Billion of flood protection improvements such as levee enlargements, pump stations and closure complexes. One of the most critical measures of the HSDRRS was protection of refurbished earthen levees against the erosion-causing hydraulic forces of storm surge overtopping.

ACEFormer™- The Channel Protection Project in Taiwan

The construction site in Tainan County is a smooth terrain which extends to the west of the Taiwan Straits.  Therefore, changing the intrinsic topography and hydrology shortened the time of rain concentration and increase the surface runoff. It also increased the load of draining capacity and made the impair draining.

Pyramat®ticks all the boxes for this Mittagong stormwater channel

The team at Global Synthetics recommended Pyramat® 25 – an ideal geosynthetic TRM for moderate-flow storm water channels, banks and steep slopes where both immediate and long-term erosion control is needed. Pyramat turf reinforcement mat traps more seed, soil and water in place than traditional hard armour products, yielding faster and fuller vegetation.

Ardmore Park- JUTELOK™

Global Synthetics were able to assist by supplying 1250 square metres of JUTELOK™ pre-split heavy jute matting to the site. This was laid after weed control operations and fixed in place using durable 280mm biodegradable retaining pins (approximately 2 pins/m²).

Tamala Park – Catalina Estate ProCoir™ Mesh

A sustainable solution was required to assist in the stabilisation of the slope along the foreshore and to prevent further slop erosion, while allowing for revegetation of the area.

ProTube® – Winmalee Dewatering

Winmalee Sewage Treatment Plant is a waste water treatment facility located on the western outskirts of Sydney, NSW, Australia. The plant is located in an environmentally sensitive area and is located on an escarpment, near the town of Winmalee, NSW.

Miracell® – Brunei Highway

Part of existing Shot Crete wall along Airport Highway collapsed due to soil erosion underneath the concreted surface. Surface water runoff from the adjoining hill and water infiltration has caused gradual removal of soil through the cracks in concreted surface until it failed.

Naue Coastal Bags – Indonesia

The project 'Muara Karangsong' was developed under the Department of Waterway Engineering, Ministry of Public Works, West Java, Indonesia. The previoud design included stones and gabions.

Cocos Islands Under Threat GeoRock™ GSC’s to the Rescue

The Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands chose to use GeoRock™ GSCs (geotextile sand containers)to remediate a severely eroded section of William Keeling Cres. GeoRock™ provides an aesthetically pleasing, soft armour solution comprising a staple fibre geotextile with exceptional UV resistance, superior tensile strength and high levels of abrasion resistant.

Geotextile Sand Containers Stop Beachfront Erosion in Torres Strait

To construct the seawall with Georock® Geotextile Sand Containers, sand was excavated down to the foundation level of low strength sandstone. Then a layer of heavyweight Profab Ultra 600X non-woven geotextile was placed over the rock as a protection layer.

Melbourne Regional Landfill (MRL)

Melbourne Regional Landfill (MRL) – TRANSNET  Drainage Geocomposite & GEOFIRMA Cushion and Filter Geotextiles   The Problem Melbourne is one of the fastest growing Australian cities. Upgrading infrastructure to support this rapid growth is essential. The MRL meets a critical infrastructure need, to deal with the city’s ever-increasing residual waste today, and for the long […]

Mugga Lane Resource Management Centre Landfill Cells 3&4

Pictures show the Installation of 65,000m2 of TRANSNET® TN350 geonet geocomposite drain on two cell batter slopes within the landfill. Cell 3 sidewall (standard cell) had 200m  slope lengths and Cell 4 sidewall (piggyback cell expansion) approx. 60m length.

Highway Embankment Construction Using PYRAWALL Wrap-Face Vegetated Wall System

Pend Oreille County needed to remove a culvert on Indian Creek that was preventing Bull Trout from traveling upstream to spawn.  The Bull Trout are a threatened species under the U.S. Endanger Species Act and the stream is considered environmentally sensitive.  Additionally, the county needed to address the road’s condition. Its alignment was for a 35 mile per hour road, but the speed limit is 50 miles per hour.