Response of High-Density Polyethylene Geomembrane–Sand Interfaces under Cyclic Shear Loading: Laboratory Investigation
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 20, Issue 2
Abstract
Geomembranes are thin polymeric sheets used as barriers to liquid or gas intrusion in earth structures due to their low permeability. The mechanical behavior of geomembrane-soil interfaces plays an important role in the stability analysis of geomembrane structures under cyclic loading caused by an earthquake or traffic. In this study, a series of cyclic shear tests were conducted using a large-scale direct shear apparatus to observe the cyclic shear response of geomembrane-sand interfaces, with emphasis on vertical displacement and cyclic shear stiffness. The influences of vertical pressure, geomembrane texture, and cyclic shear loading form on the cyclic shear behavior of geomembrane-sand interfaces were examined. The cyclic shear stiffness showed an increasing trend with increasing vertical pressure, but significantly decreased with increasing shear-displacement amplitude. Textured geomembranes can effectively improve the cyclic shear strength of geomembrane-sand interfaces. The volumetric behavior of geomembrane-sand interfaces is evidently dependent on the form of cyclic shear loading and the magnitude of applied vertical pressure. The cyclic shear behavior of pure sand was also compared with that of geomembrane-sand interfaces.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51679073 and 51979089), and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20141418).
References
Alaie, R., and R. J. Chenari. 2018. “Cyclic and post-cyclic shear behaviour of interface between geogrid and EPS beads-sand backfill.” KSCE J. Civ. Eng. 22 (9): 3340–3357. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-018-0945-2.
Bacas, B. M., J. Canizal, and H. Konietzky. 2015. “Frictional behaviour of three critical geosynthetic interfaces.” Geosynthetics Int. 22 (5): 355–365. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.15.00017.
Borana, L., J. Yin, D. N. Singh, and S. K. Shukla. 2016. “Interface behavior from suction-controlled direct shear test on completely decomposed granitic soil and steel surfaces.” Int. J. Geomech. 16 (6): D4016008. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000658.
Cen, W. J., H. Wang, and Y. J. Sun. 2018a. “Laboratory investigation of shear behavior of high-density polyethylene geomembrane interfaces.” Polymers 10 (7): 734. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10070734.
Cen, W. J., H. Wang, Y. J. Sun, and L. S. Wen. 2018b. “Monotonic and cyclic shear behavior of geomembrane-sand interface.” Geosynthetics Int. 25 (4): 369–377. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.18.00017.
Dejong, J. T., and Z. J. Westgate. 2005. “Role of overconsolidation on sand–geomembrane interface response and material damage evolution.” Geotext. Geomembr. 23 (6): 486–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2005.04.001.
Ferreira, F., C. Vieira, and M. D. L. Lopes. 2016. “Cyclic and post-cyclic shear behaviour of a granite residual soil-geogrid interface.” Procedia Eng. 143: 379–386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.048.
Fleming, I. R., J. S. Sharma, and M. B. Jogi. 2006. “Shear strength of geomembrane-soil interface under unsaturated conditions.” Geotext. Geomembr. 24 (5): 274–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2006.03.009.
Fox, P. J., J. D. Ross, J. M. Sura, and R. S. Thiel. 2011. “Geomembrane damage due to static and cyclic shearing over compacted gravelly sand.” Geosynthetics Int. 18 (5): 272–279. https://doi.org/10.1680/gein.2011.18.5.272.
Frost, J. D., D. Kim, and S. W. Lee. 2012. “Microscale geomembrane-granular material interactions.” KSCE J. Civ. Eng. 16 (1): 79–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-012-1476-x.
Hossain, M. A., and J. H. Yin. 2010. “Shear strength and dilative characteristics of an unsaturated compacted completely decomposed granite soil.” Can. Geotech. J. 47 (10): 1112–1126. https://doi.org/10.1139/T10-015.
Hossain, M. A., and J. H. Yin. 2014. “Behavior of a pressure-grouted soil-cement interface in direct shear tests.” Int. J. Geomech. 14 (1): 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000301.
Hossain, M. A., and J. H. Yin. 2015. “Dilatancy and strength of an unsaturated soil-cement interface in direct shear tests.” Int. J. Geomech. 15 (5): 04014081. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000428.
Koerner, R. 2012. Vol. 1 of Designing with geosynthetics. 6th ed. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris.
Lehane, B., R. J. Jardine, A. J. Bond, and R. Frank. 1993. “Mechanisms of shaft friction in sand from instrumented pile tests.” J. Geotech. Eng. 119 (1): 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9410(1993)119:1(19).
Liu, F. Y., P. Wang, X. Geng, J. Wang, and X. Lin. 2015. “Cyclic and post-cyclic behaviour from sand-geogrid interface large-scale direct shear tests.” Geosynthetics Int. 23 (2): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.15.00037.
Liu, H., and J. Martinez. 2014. “Creep behaviour of sand-geomembrane interfaces.” Geosynthetics Int. 21 (1): 83–88. https://doi.org/10.1680/gein.13.00036.
Mortara, G., A. Mangiola, and V. N. Ghionna. 2007. “Cyclic shear stress degradation and post-cyclic behaviour from sand-steel interface direct shear tests.” Can. Geotech. J. 44 (7): 739–752. https://doi.org/10.1139/t07-019.
Müller, W. W. 2007. HDPE geomembranes in geotechnics. Berlin: Springer.
Nye, C. J., and P. J. Fox. 2007. “Dynamic shear behavior of a needle-punched geosynthetic clay liner.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 133 (8): 973–983. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2007)133:8(973).
Sharma, J. S., I. R. Fleming, and M. B. Jogi. 2007. “Measurement of unsaturated soil-geomembrane interface shear-strength parameters.” Can. Geotech. J. 44 (1): 78–88. https://doi.org/10.1139/t06-097.
Silver, M. L., and H. B. Seed. 1971. “Volume changes in sands during cyclic loading.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 97 (9): 1171–1182.
Stark, T. D., and R. F. Santoyo. 2017. “Soil/geosynthetic interface strengths from torsional ring shear tests.” In Vol. 280 of Proc., Geotechnical Frontiers 2017, 260–268. Reston, VA: ASCE.
Thusyanthan, N. I., S. Madabhushi, and S. Singh. 2007. “Tension in geomembranes on landfill slopes under static and earthquake loading—Centrifuge study.” Geotext. Geomembr. 25 (2): 78–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2006.07.002.
Toufigh, V., C. S. Desai, H. Saadatmanesh, V. Toufigh, S. Ahmari, and E. Kabiri. 2014. “Constitutive modeling and testing of interface between backfill soil and fiber-reinforced polymer.” Int. J. Geomech. 14 (3): 04014009. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000298.
Vangla, P., and M. L. Gali. 2016. “Shear behavior of sand-smooth geomembrane interfaces through micro-topographical analysis.” Geotext. Geomembr. 44 (4): 592–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2016.04.001.
Vangla, P., and G. M. Latha. 2017. “Surface topographical analysis of geomembranes and sands using a 3D optical profilometer.” Geosynthetics Int. 24 (2): 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgein.16.00023.
Vieira, C. S., and M. D. L. Lopes. 2013. “Effects of the loading rate and cyclic loading on the strength and deformation properties of a geosynthetic.” Constr. Build. Mater. 49 (49): 758–765. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.08.048.
Vieira, C. S., M. D. L. Lopes, and L. Caldeira. 2013. “Sand-geotextile interface characterization through monotonic and cyclic shear tests.” Geosynthetics Int. 20 (1): 26–38. https://doi.org/10.1680/gein.12.00037.
Wang, J., F. Liu, P. Wang, and Y. Q. Cai. 2016. “Particle size effects on coarse soil-geogrid interface response in cyclic and post-cyclic direct shear tests.” Geotext. Geomembr. 44 (6): 854–861. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2016.06.011.
Xiao, Y., H. Liu, H. Liu, Y. Chen, and W. Zhang. 2016. “Strength and dilatancy behaviors of dense modeled rockfill material in general stress space.” Int. J. Geomech. 16 (5): 04016015. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000645.
Xiao, Y., M. Meng, Q. Chen, and B. Nan. 2018. “Friction and dilatancy angles of granular soils incorporating effects of shearing modes.” Int. J. Geomech. 18 (11): 06018027. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001289.
Yegian, M. K., J. N. Harb, and U. Kadakal. 1998. “Dynamic response analysis procedure for landfills with geosynthetic liners.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 124 (10): 1027–1033. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1998)124:10(1027).
Youd, T. L. 1972. “Compaction of sands by repeated shear straining.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 98 (7): 709–725.
Zabielska-Adamska, K. 2006. “Shear strength parameters of compacted fly ash–HDPE geomembrane interfaces.” Geotext. Geomembr. 24 (2): 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2005.11.006.
Zhang, G., and J. M. Zhang. 2009. “Large-scale monotonic and cyclic tests of interface between geotextile and gravelly soil.” Soils Found. 49 (1): 75–84. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.49.75.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 20 • Issue 2 • February 2020
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 23, 2018
Accepted: May 28, 2019
Published online: Dec 9, 2019
Published in print: Feb 1, 2020
Discussion open until: May 9, 2020
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.