Relationship between a Layered Geomembrane–Geotextile System and Constituent Materials in a Multiaxial Tension Test

Abstract

Abstract Layered geomembrane–geotextile systems (LGGSs) are used extensively worldwide. To increase strength, geomembranes are becoming thicker and geotextiles are becoming heavier. It is more challenging to obtain LGGS strength through laboratory tests, especially multiaxial tension tests. To address this problem, the relationships between LGGSs with different combinations and constituent materials were investigated using a multiaxial tension test and theoretical analysis. According to these relationships, when the LGGS and the constituent materials deform to an arc of a sphere because of the pressure applied under the membrane perpendicular to the surface of the specimen, the lowest geotextile (or two layers of continuous geotextile) in contact with the pressure medium in the LGGS can be considered an ineffective layer in multiaxial tension deformation, while the other layers are effective layers. The pressure of an LGGS at different deformations is the total of the pressure of each effective constituent material at corresponding deformations, and the stress within the cross-section of the LGGS at different strains is equal to the sum of the product of the stress of each effective constituent material at corresponding strains and its thickness percentage. With this relationship, we contribute to multiaxial tension mechanical characteristic applications by calculating the multiaxial tensile strength of LGGSs and facilitating material selection in engineering design.