Laboratory and In Situ Tests for Long-Term Hydraulic Conductivity of a Cement-Bentonite Cutoff Wall

Abstract

Slurry trench cutoff walls, constructed using self-hardening slag-cement-bentonite (Slag-CB), are the most common form of in-ground vertical contaminant barrier in the U.K., Europe, and Japan, and are increasingly being used in the United States. This paper presents a case study of the hydraulic conductivity evaluation of an 11-year-old Slag-CB wall material at a sulfate-contaminated site, using different in situ techniques and laboratory tests. The laboratory results suggest that the hydraulic conductivity of the samples, which vary in age from 4 weeks to 11 years, decreases with time for the first 3 years but then remains constant. The results indicate that the long-term performance of these containment walls is influenced by various parameters such as aging, the type/duration of contaminant exposure, mixing of surrounding soil during construction, and wall depth. Piezocone tests, packer tests, and self-boring permeameter tests were carried out in the field to determine the suitability of different in s...