Mechanical behaviour of landfill barrier systems

Landfills may need to be surrounded by engineered liner systems to prevent dangerous leakage to the environment. Depending on the location of the liner, that is, at the bottom, surface or sides of the landfill, the system may be highly stressed in bending or shear. Full-scale tests and additional field measurements were carried out to define the ultimate state of the permeability of horizontal and vertical compacted clay liners. The results of these tests can be used in the overall design of such landfill liners. The testing equipment developed may be used to improve new system designs or to test alternative combinations of materials.