Protecting the Environment with Geosynthetics: 53rd Karl Terzaghi Lecture
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 9
Abstract
Design- and construction-related factors that affect leakage through geomembranes, used either alone or in a composite liner, are examined. The development, detection, and number of holes that can develop during construction and operation of a facility are discussed. The relationship between leakage through holes in a geomembrane, and the hydraulic conductivity of the material above (including tailings) and below a geomembrane, is examined, considering both a relatively permeable subgrade and an underlying clay liner (including the unstressed zone beneath a wrinkle) in a composite liner. The leakage observed in the primary liners of 180 landfill cells is explained by holes in geomembrane wrinkles with a length consistent with those observed in the field and an appropriate choice of hydraulic conductivity for the clay liner below the geomembrane wrinkle with a hole. Leakage through geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) overlaps below wrinkles is examined. The latest research into the physical and chemical aging of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes liners is discussed in the context of the compatibility of the antioxidant package and resin with the solution to be retained, liner temperature, nature of exposure, sustained tensile strains, and welds. The estimation of the service life of a geomembrane based on immersion tests and simulated field conditions is examined in terms of antioxidant depletion, stress cracking, and the maximum allowable strain in a geomembrane. It is projected that the service life of a geomembrane may range from just a few years to many centuries.
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Data Availability Statement
This paper brings together and integrates in one place data from many published sources cited in text, tables, and figures, and listed in the following reference list. Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are available from the corresponding author by request (i.e., any information generated by the author and not already published in the public literature as cited in the paper).
Acknowledgments
With many thanks to the GeoInstitute of ASCE for inviting me to present the 53rd Karl Terzaghi Lecture in Orlando, Florida, March 2017. The research presented in this paper was funded by the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The author is very grateful to industrial partners, Antarctic Department of Conservation and Management (Australian Antarctic Division), Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Cetco, Naue, Ontario Ministry of Environment, Solmax-GSE, Terrafix Geosynthetics, and Thiel Engineering, for their support with various aspects of this research. Thanks are due to many past and present colleagues, collaborators, and graduate students who coauthored papers that are referenced herein. Special thanks to Jelica Garcia who assisted with the numerical modeling, and to Rick Thiel (Thiel Engineering) for Fig. 2(a), Abigail Gilson-Beck for Fig. 2(b), Ken Embree (Knight Piesold) for Fig. 5(a), Tony Bennett (Ontario Power Generation) for Fig. 5(b), Harvey McLeod (Klohn Crippen Berger) for Fig. 5(c), and Ian Peggs (ICORP) for Fig. 7. Special thanks also to Drs. Fady Abdelaal and Richard Brachman for assistance in preparation of the lecture and reviewing the draft paper and to Richard Thiel, Robert Phaneuf, and Abigail Gilson-Beck for reviewing the draft paper. The input form the three anonymous reviewers is also greatly appreciated. The views expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of the many people who have assisted with the research or reviewed of the manuscript.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 9 • September 2020
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 31, 2019
Accepted: Nov 18, 2019
Published online: Jun 27, 2020
Published in print: Sep 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 27, 2020
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