• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.49-58
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• 2006

Recently, geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) have increasingly been used to replace compacted clay liners (CCLs) in composite liner systems. Since the introduction of GCLs to waste containment facilities, one of the major concerns about their use has been the hydraulic equivalency to CCLs as required by regulations. Laboratory test results and more recently field observations show that the thickness, or mass per unit area, of hydrated bentonite in a GCL can decrease under normal stress, especially around zones of stress concentration or nonuniform stresses, such as a rock or roughness in the subgrade, a leachate sump, or wrinkles in an overlying geomembrane. This paper presents field case histories that confirm the laboratory observations of bentonite migration and the effect of bentonite migration on hydraulic equivalency and contaminant transport through a GCL.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1996.03a
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• pp.37-46
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• 1996

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.295-304
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• 2010

Performance of a landfill liner is evaluated based on leakage rate and mass flux. In this study, the recently utilized double composite liner system, which consists of a geomembrane (GM), a geosynthetic clay liner (GCL), a GM, and a compacted clay layer (61 or 91.5 cm) is compared with other popular composite liners including the single GCL system, the Subtitle D liner system, and the Wisconsin NR500 liner system. The leakage rate through circular and long defects in the GM of the landfill liners is analyzed using numerical models. For the mass flux criterion, the analyses of inorganic contaminant transport through defects in the GM component of liner systems and diffusion of organic compounds through intact landfill liners are conducted using three- and one-dimensional numerical models, respectively. Cadmium and toluene are used in the analyses as a typical inorganic and organic substance, respectively, which will be chemical species encountered during landfill operation. The comparison shows that the double composite liner systems are superior to the other liner systems according to the performance-based evaluation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.245-254
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• 2009

Efficiency of landfill liners system is usually evaluated based on leakage rate and mass flux. In this study, composite liner systems including the GCL(geosynthetic clay liner) composite liner, the Subtitle D liner, the Wisconsin NR500 liner, and the recently utilized double composite liner, which is a combination of the GCL composite liner and Subtitle D-type liner, have been examined. The leakage rate through circular and long defects in the geomembrane (GM) of the liner system was analyzed with the aids of analytical and numerical methods. For the mass flux criterion, contaminant transport through defects in the GM of landfill liners can be evaluated based on the calculated leakage rates. The diffusion rate of volatile organic compounds through intact landfill liners was evaluated by performing a one-dimensional numerical model. Cadmium and toluene were adoptted in the analyses as typical inorganic and organic substances, respectively, which will be chemical species encountered during landfill operation. The performance-based evaluation indicates that the double composite liner systems are superior to the other types of liner.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2002

The study was performed to evaluate the effect of landfill leachate on the hydraulic conductivity of Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) with two types of leachate. GCL used in waste landfills have a significant ability as a barrier material, however, they also have a potential danger when exposed to some organic and inorganic leachate as well as humic materials. In this study, swelling tests and hydraulic conductivity tests were performed to evaluate the effect of humic materials and landfill leachate on the hydraulic characteristics of the GCL. The result of swelling tests showed that the amount of humic materials and high electronic conductivity caused a decrease of the swelling of bentonite. This is expected to increase the hydraulic conductivity of GCL. The increasing of hydraulic conductivity observed for GCL permeated with 0-leachate was significantly higher than that of Y-leachate. This result shows that humic materials are obviously affecting with the increasing of hydraulic conductivity of GCL.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2001.09a
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• pp.208-211
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• 2001

Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCLs) have been used for the applications of the hydraulic containment system in landfill due to inexpensive costs, simple workability and distinguished ability as a barrier material. However, bentonite of GCLs is easy to be damaged by the chemical solutions. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the potential susceptibility of GCLs causing Increase the hydraulic conductivity when GCLs are exposed to raw leachate and dissolved humic substances from landfill leachate. The hydraulic conductivity tests were performed with flexible-wall permeameter (the falling -headwater/rising -tailwater procedure) in order to verify the potential susceptibility of GCLs. The values of the hydraulic conductivity conducted with raw leachate as a permeant liquid increased considerably; however, The change of the hydraulic conductivity in the case of humic and fulvic acid were not worthy of notice. As the results of swelling tests of bentonite, however, humic substances can affect badly on the dispersion behavior of bentonite. These results indicate that humic substances dissolved in leachate could reduce the hydraulic conductivity of GCLs in landfill.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.321-328
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• 2002

Various geosynthetics used as liners or the Protection layers are installed in the solid waste landfill. The interface shear strength between geosynthetics installed at the slope of the landfill is a very important variable for the safe design of bottom and cover systems in the solid waste landfill. The interface shear strengths between (1) Geomembrane(GM)/Geotexile(GT) and (2) Geomembrane(GM)/Geosynthetic Clay Liner(GCL) were estimated by a large direct shear test in this study and were evaluated by the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. Especially, this research is focused on the effect of water which exists between geosynthetics because interfaces become easily wet or hydrated by rain, leachate and groundwater beneath liners. The strength reduction at large displacement and the effects of the magnitude of normal stresses and GCL hydration methods also investigated. The test results showed that the interface shear strength and shear behavior varied depending upon the magnitude of normal stresses, water at the interface, and hydration methods. Summary of secant friction angles, which could be used as reference values at a site where similar geosynthetics are installed, together with normal stress and hydration condition are presented.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.141-158
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• 2004

The dependency of criteria used to terminate compatibility tests on the prehydration and quality of bentonite in geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) is evaluated based on permeation with chemical solutions containing 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mM calcium chloride ($CaCl_2$). The hydraulic conductivity tests are not terminated before chemical equilibrium between the effluent and the influent chemistry has been established, resulting in test durations ranging from < 1 day to > 900 days, with longer test durations associated with lower $CaCl_2$ concentrations. The evaluation includes both physical termination criteria (i.e., volumetric flow ratio and steady hydraulic conductivity based on ASTM D 5084, ${\ge}2$ pore volumes of flow, constant thickness of specimen) and chemical termination criteria requiring equilibrium between influent and effluent chemistry (viz., electrical conductivity, pH, and $Ca^{2+}\;and\;Cl^-$ concentrations). For specimens permeated with 5, 10, and 20 mM $CaCl_2$ solutions, only the criterion based on chemical equilibrium in $Ca^{2+}$ concentration correlates well with equilibrium in hydraulic conductivity, regardless of prehydration or quality of bentonite. However, all of the termination criteria, except for the volumetric flow ratio and 2 pore volumes of flow for the prehydrated specimens, correlate well with equilibrium in hydraulic conductivity regardless of prehydration or quality of bentonite when permeated with 50 and 100 mM $CaCl_2$ solutions. The results illustrate the uniqueness of the termination criterion based on solute concentration equilibrium between the effluent and the influent with respect to both prehydration and quality of bentonite in the GCLs.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2004

Various geosynthetics are widely installed as a liner or a protective layer of waste landfills. The interface shear strength between the layers of geosynthetics in waste landfills is an important parameter to ensure the safety of bottom and cover system design. In this study, estimations of interface shear strength between geomembrane and geotextile or Geosynthetic Clay Liners (GCL) are performed by large direct shear tests. Especially, this research is focused on the effect of moisture within the interface shear strength between geosynthetics, because most interfaces are vulnerable to rain, leachate and groundwater beneath the liners.