The risk of geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) desiccation in low stress applications such as solar ponds was investigated using a fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model. Parameters were developed and verified by comparison with previously reported laboratory data. A parametric study was performed to establish recommendations for future investigation. The water retention curve of the GCL was found to have a significant effect on the conditions that are expected to cause desiccation. The temperature coefficient of the water retention curve was also found to have a significant effect, yet this parameter is not well defined. Poisson's ratio was found to affect the risk of desiccation in proportion to the applied stress. As reported by previous researchers, the initial degree of saturation of a GCL was found to influence desiccation; however, the effect was diminished at low applied stress. The magnitude of the increase in liner temperature, above groundwater temperature, was found to have the potential to cause desiccation of a GCL in a composite liner.
A decision support system (Landfill Advisor or LFAdvisor) was developed to integrate current knowledge of barrier systems into a computer application to assist in landfill design. The program was developed in Visual Basic and includes an integrated database to store information. LFAdvisor presents the choices available for each liner component (e.g. leachate collection system, geomembrane liner, clay liners) and provides advice on their suitability for different situations related to municipal solid waste landfills (e.g. final cover, base liner, lagoon liner). Unique to LFAdvisor, the service life of each engineered component is estimated based on results from the latest research. LFAdvisor considers the interactions between liner components, operating conditions, and the existing site environment. LFAdvisor can be used in the initial stage of design to give designers a good idea of what liner components will likely be required, while alerting them to issues that are likely to arise. A systems approach is taken to landfill design with the ultimate goal of maximising long-term performance and service life.
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