4.1 This practice is intended to aid fabricators, suppliers, purchasers, and users of fabricated panels in the testing requirements for factory-created seams during fabrication of geomembrane panels.

4.2 Factory seaming of geomembranes has advantages over field seaming including less temperature variation, no wind, fewer contamination (soil and water) concerns, a consistent work surface for welding, and options for factory equipment that may not be robust enough for the field environment. This results in factory welds more consistent than field seams and allows for a lesser frequency of testing than for field seams.

4.3 This guide is not intended to replace project-specific seaming and testing requirements or quality assurance programs.

1.1 This practice provides manufacturing quality control guidance for the factory seaming of fabricated geomembrane panels. This practice is not to be considered as all-encompassing since there are a large number of geomembrane types, weld types, and fabrication processes that cannot be anticipated and covered in this document.

1.2 This practice is written for factory-fabricated geomembrane panels only and does not apply to field fabrication onsite.

1.3 This practice does not cover joining of materials during the primary geomembrane manufacturing process such as the vulcanized overlaps found in EPDM sheet.

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.