ASTM International’s geosynthetics committee is working on standard for vinyl sheet piling. There is a need for specification for vinyl sheet piling used for structural walls to hold back soil, separate land from water, mitigate flooding and erosion, and control water flow. The proposed standard will be mainly used by structural, civil, and design engineers.

The proposed standard (WK75165) covers vinyl sheet piling used in marine and geotechnical fields for seawalls, retaining walls, flood walls, erosion control, and pollution cut-off

According to ASTM member Steve Hargrave, the proposed standard (WK75165) will fill the need for a specification for vinyl sheet piling used for structural walls to hold back soil, separate land from water, mitigate flooding and erosion, and control water flow. Structural, civil, and design engineers will be the primary users of the standard.

“Vinyl sheet piling is also used for barriers to seepage through dams or levees and barriers to underground pollutant flow,” says Hargrave, innovation and engineering director, CMI Limited. “These products are often made with recycled materials, have a lower carbon footprint than traditional materials, are inert in the environment, and can be recycled at the end of lifespan.”

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6 on clean water and sanitation because the standard contributes to pollution mitigation and erosion control.