Performance of Compacted Loess Soils as Liners for Waste Landfills

Abstract

In waste landfill, compacted soil liners are used to limit the leakage of contaminants into the soil and groundwater. A numerical tool to predict the hydraulic and mechanical behavior of the system is needed for the liners design criteria definition. This work presents a numerical analysis of the infiltration-settlement problem, through the development and implementation of models, which can predict and assess the performance of compacted soil liners installed on natural collapsible soils. These models, calibrated from experimental results of infiltration and confined compression tests on disturbed and undisturbed soil samples, were applied to the analysis of a case of study involving different scenarios. The results were used to formulate recommendations for the design and construction of compacted silty soil liners installed on collapsible loess soil region.