Hydraulic Conductivity of Three Geosynthetic Clay Liners

Abstract

The hydraulic conductivity of three 2.9 m² (32 sq ft) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) was measured. Tests were performed on individual sheets of the GCLs, on overlapped pieces of GCLs, and on composite liners consisting of a punctured geomembrane overlying a GCL. Hydraulic conductivities of two of the GCLs were in the range of 10\u-¹\u0 to 10\u-\u8 cm/s. No flow was measured through the third GCL, but the conductivity was obviously very low (<<10\u-\u7 cm/s). The hydraulic conductivities of overlapped GCLs were about the same as those of the control samples with no overlap; an effective hydraulic seal developed along the overlaps in all of the materials tested. Performance of the punctured geomembrane-GCL composites varied—performance was best when the punctured geomembrane was placed directly against bentonite and no geotextile separated the punctured geomembrane from the bentonite. For those GCLs with geotextiles on both sides, problems with migration of bentonite into the underlying drainage layer were encountered when inadequate filtration was provided. However, with a suitable filtration layer separating the drainage layer from the GCL, problems with migration of bentonite were eliminated.