Compacted Soil Liner Interface Strength Importance
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper describes an interesting slope failure in a liner system of a municipal solid waste containment facility during construction because the sliding interface is not the geomembrane (GM)/compacted low-permeability soil liner (LPSL) but a soil–soil interface within the LPSL. Some of the lessons learned are as follows: (1) compaction of the LPSL should ensure that each lift is kneaded into the lower lift so a weak interface is not created in the LPSL; (2) the LPSL moisture content should be controlled so it does not exceed the specified value, for example 3–4% wet of optimum, because it can lead to a weak interface in the LPSL; (3) drainage material should be placed over the GM from the slope toe to the top to reduce the shear stresses applied to the weakest interface; and (4) equipment should not move laterally across the slope if it is unsupported but up the slope while placing the cover soil from bottom to top.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge and appreciate the assistance of Luis Pazmino, a graduate research assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Jeehee Lim, a graduate research assistant at Korea University, in finalizing this manuscript.
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© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Aug 4, 2009
Accepted: Apr 18, 2011
Published online: Apr 20, 2011
Published in print: Apr 1, 2012
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