Preface to the proceedings of 2009 Sydney Chapter Symposium

This document contains the papers for the 13th annual symposium organised by the Sydney Chapter of the Australian Geomechanics Society. It is hoped the symposium will keep practising geotechnical engineers, engineering geologists and other engineering professionals informed of recent developments in this field. It also recognises the need to gather together the experience of those practising throughout Australia and to allow transfer of knowledge and sharing of their experiences.

These symposia continue to be one of the best forums for bringing together the key stakeholders of the Australian geotechnical community. The objectives of the symposium held in Sydney on 21 October 2009 have been to advance the knowledge of geosynthetics in engineering.

The symposium includes a number of themes including innovations, testing and modelling, case histories drainage applications and construction. Contributors include academics, designers, suppliers and contractors. The papers present geosynthetics project challenges and solutions from throughout Australia and overseas.

This symposium is the cooperative effort of many authors. The Editors and organising committee wish to thank the authors, who have so generously contributed their time to prepare the various papers, and the employers of the authors, who have assisted with time, secretarial, drafting and photocopying facilities. Appreciation is also extended to our sponsors for their support. Without them, the AGS Symposium would not be one of the best ongoing forums for the Australian geomechanics community.

Henk Buys, Brook Ewers, Hana Liu

On behalf of the Australian Geomechanics Society, Sydney Chapter and Sydney Chapter Symposium Organising Committee