From the start of this year TenCate Geosynthetics will be concentrating on the market launch and sales of TenCate GeoDetect in North America. The geotextiles based monitoring system, which encompasses optical fibres, has already been used in Europe for a few years and the launch in North America will enable the company’s global marketing efforts in the field of geotechnology to be coordinated and the continued development of the system to be intensified.

TenCate GeoDetect is the world’s first intelligent geotextiles and is a system that provides early warning of deformations in soil structures, the company says. It consists of a geotextile that incorporates optical glass fibres, as well as special instrumentation equipment and software.

“The slightest settlements and changes in temperature and strain in for example embankments and dykes can thus be registered at an early stage. This makes it possible to take any necessary measures and to avoid breaches. The system is built into dyke bodies during the construction of seawalls, roads and railways and the building of retaining walls, tunnels, underground structures and pipelines,” says Wilson Harvie, Director of Corporate Business Development at TenCate Geosynthetics North America.

“By combining proven optical fibre technology with the characteristics of our geotextiles, TenCate Geosynthetics offers the most accurate, customizable and profitable monitoring system that is currently available. This underscores TenCate Geosynthetics aspiration to offer global system solutions to complex problems in the field of geotechnology,” added Mr Harvie.

In Europe the required experience has already been gained with TenCate GeoDetect in pilot projects, including one in France for the construction of the embankment for the rails of SNCF’s (French Railways) high-speed line. In The Netherlands this early warning system was used in the ‘IJkdijk’ project, in which new inspection and monitoring technology for dams and seawalls was tested.