Performance of protective layers for geomembranes

• Grant number: 06/01871-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2006
• End date: October 31, 2008
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Civil Engineering - Geotechnical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Orencio Monje Vilar
• Grantee: Orencio Monje Vilar
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Geomembranes are used in the liners composition in several environmental works. Their impermeability characteristics could be compromised with damage during the installation and the operation phases. For this reason, it resorts to components able to protect them of those damages, such as the geotextiles. This research project has as objective to assess the performance of protection arrangements for geomembranes. For this objective, it would be make laboratory and field mechanics damages tests. The laboratory tests would make to comprising of different protection arrangements in typical geomembranes tests, such as static and dynamic puncture tests. The achievement of those tests would make with the equipments already available at the EESC - USP Geosynthetics Laboratory and the hydrostatic puncture apparatus or truncated cones, specially developed for this research. Field tests would try to represent the ordinary conditions existing in the sanitary landfill operation and they would comprise different protection arrangements. From the interpretation of the experience results, the tests would be compared among themselves, associating therefore the laboratory behavior and the field arrangements protection, and establishing a project methodology that it allows to associate laboratory behavior with the field performance. (AU)