The optimal placement of geogrid reinforcement in landfill clay liners

Abstract

Continued population growth is placing strain on the waste disposal facilities available in South Africa. However, limited air space suitable for landfilling drives the need for alternative solutions such as piggyback landfills to expand the waste disposal capacity. This method entails building a new, fully lined, landfill on top of existing waste. However, the old underlying waste is prone settlement that can result in the cracking of new landfill clay liner.

Geogrid reinforcement have been successfully used in clay liners to mitigate cracking induced by waste settlement. This research focused on investigating of the optimal reinforcement strategy (ORS) of such a liner subject to settlement. The ORS entails the optimal position for geogrid reinforcement in a liner, and the stiffness to be used at that position, given a total reinforcement cost.

Firstly, the fracture behaviour of unreinforced clay liners was investigated by means of four point bending tests on clay beams. It was found that the fracture of this clay occurred in three stages: linear behaviour, followed by non-linear behaviour when micro-cracks forms and finally macro-cracks that opened once the peak load was reached.

Thereafter, the behaviour of geogrid-reinforced clay liners, subjected to differential settlement, was investigated with finite element analyses in ABAQUS. A number of key factors were varied and the resulting change in behaviour of the liners was observed. These were: the overburden stress applied, clay liner thickness, magnitude of central settlement and the width and shape of the settlement trough developing in the underlying waste body.

Based on the numerical results, a series of plane-strain centrifuge tests of reinforced clay liners subject to differential settlement were designed. An unreinforced liner, a liner reinforced at the bottom quarter, a liner reinforced at the top quarter and a liner reinforced at both the bottom and top quarters were tested. Laser scanner scans of the surface and strains calculated from digital image velocimetry results were used to compare the behaviour of the liners. Based on these results it is recommended that for optimal performance the available reinforcement should be divided between the top and bottom quarters of the liner to mitigate the effect of settlement.

Volgehoude bevolkingsgroei in Suid-Afrika plaas bestaande rommelstortingsfasiliteite onder druk. ’n Tekort aan grond geskik vir die bou van stortingsterreine moedig die soektog na alternatiewe oplossings soos abba-stortingsterreine aan. Hierdie metode behels ’n splinternuwe stortingsterrein wat bo-op bestaande rommel gebou word. Versakking van die bestaande rommel kan egter veroorsaak dat krake vorm in die nuwe stortingsterrein se kleivoering wat daarop lê. Vorige navorsing het die vorming van krake in die kleivoerings al welgeslaagd verhoed deur van georoosters as versterking gebruik te maak. Die huidige studie het op daardie navorsing gebou deur die optimale versterkings strategie (OVS) te bepaal vir so ’n kleivoering wat vervorm onder versakking van die onderliggende rommel. Die OVS definieer beide die optimale versterkings posisie in ’n kleivoering, en die styfheid van die georooster wat in daardie posisie geplaas moet word, gegewe ’n sekere totale versterkingskoste. Eerstens was daar ondersoek ingestel na die kraakgedrag van onversterkte kleivoerings. Vierpuntbuigtoetse van kleibalkies was hiervoor gebruik. Die krake het oor drie fases gevorm: eerstens was daar lineêre gedrag tot en met mikro-krake gevorm het. Dit is gevolg deur nie-lineêre gedrag wat gelei het tot makro-krake. Sodra die makro-krake gevorm het, is die maksimum las bereik wat die klei kon ondersteun. Na afloop van die balkbuigtoetse was eindige element analises in ABAQUS uitgevoer om die gedrag van versterkte kleivoerings wat bo-op versakkende afval lê te ondersoek. Die spanning toegepas op die oppervlak van die kleivoerings, die dikte van die kleivoerings en die versakkingstrogwydte, -vorm en -diepte was gevarieer om die effek daarvan op die gedrag van die kleivoerings te ondersoek. Na aanleiding van die resultate van die numeriese analise is ’n reeks sentrifuge toetse van kleivoerings wat aan versakking onderwerp word uitgevoer. ’n Onversterkte kleivoering, kleivoerings versterk in die boonste en onderste kwarte, en een versterk in beide die boonste en onderste kwart was getoets. Die gedrag van die verskillende kleivoerings was vergelyk deur die oppervlaktekrake op te meet met ’n laserskandeerder. Verder is die vervorming van die kleivoerings bepaal vanaf die verplasing van die grondpartikels tussen opeenvolgende digitale foto’s. Na aanleiding van hierdie resultate word dit aanbeveel dat die beskikbare georooster versterking opgedeel moet word tussen die boonste en onderste kwart van die kleivoerings ten einde optimale gedrag te verseker indien versakking sou plaasvind.