C.J.F.P. Jones - School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Recent developments in geosynthetic material technology includes the introduction of reinforcing grids with in-built drainage capabilities. This material permits the use of wet cohesive fill with the construction of steep reinforced fill slopes by causing rapid dissipation of pore pressures. The Stepped Isothermal Method to accelerate the determination of creep properties of reinforcement has been adopted to simulate the effect of seismic loading occurring during the life of a structure. These studies have shown that seismic events can be accommodated by geosynthetic reinforcement at any time during their design life. Construction on super soft soil using geogrid materials to produce a primary stage nstruction platform is an established technique. Recent research has identified the critical role of inplane ending stiffness of the reinforcement in making this technique effective. Finally, the introduction of electrically conductive geosynthetic material offers a new range of applications of geosynthetics based upon electrokinetic principles.