Standardization News

ASTM International’s soil and rock committee (D18) has approved a new standard that will help design engineers and regulators when using rockfall mitigation nettings on construction projects. 

Geohazard nettings are often used in mountainous regions to prevent falling rocks from penetrating into the roadways.  

ASTM International member Mike Koutsourais, PE, geohazard mitigations business unit manager for Maccaferri, Inc. and chairman of the ASTM’s geohazard nettings subcommittee notes that the opening size of a geohazard netting plays an influential role in the netting’s ability to prevent smaller rocks from penetrating through the netting. 

The new standard (D8123) will be used to help measure the opening size of geohazard nettings. Last year the subcommittee approved a related standard (D8122) on determining the mass per unit area of such nettings. 

The geohazard nettings task group is also developing a standard on determining the tensile strength of geohazard nettings. All interested parties are welcome to join in the development of this proposed standards.  

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. JOIN ASTM. 

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