ASTM standard proposed for turf reinforcement mats

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — High-strength turf reinforcement mats (TRMs) made from vegetative or synthetic materials (or a combination of both) are used to prevent soil erosion in drainage areas and on steep slopes. A proposed new ASTM International standard, ASTM WK38408, Specification for Turf Reinforcement Mats, will be focused on mats made only with geosynthetics (no organic materials).

ASTM WK38408 is being developed by Subcommittee D35.05 on Geosynthetic Erosion Control, part of ASTM International Committee D35 on Geosynthetics.

“Without a manufacturer’s quality control specification, manufacturers must work with individual users and determine which product is capable of meeting each project’s design requirements,” says Robert Mackey, P.E., principal engineer, S2L Inc., and a D35 member. “Manufacturers of TRMs are also subjected to design requirements from less knowledgeable users that are inconsistent with the available products on the market today.”

Mackey says that once the proposed standard is approved, it will simplify the user’s ability to specify the product that meets the minimum manufacturing quality controls for a standardized list of physical properties and performance properties.

D35.05 welcomes participation, particularly from users of turf reinforcements mats, in the ongoing development of ASTM WK38408.