Soil-bentonite (SB) slurry walls are one of the most popular techniques for minimizing the horizontal migration of contaminants. Backfill arching, or “hang-up” of the backfilled slurry, on the wall trench has the potential to significantly reduce the effectiveness of these barriers. This research was conducted to supplement the design and installation of an 11,000 m long slurry wall at PotashCorp’s mine in Rocanville, Saskatchewan. The slurry wall is being installed through low permeability glacial till containing permeable granular zones. This study was undertaken to improve the understanding of vertical stress distribution in these deep barriers. In particular, the objective of this study was to develop an understanding of the factors controlling arching and hydraulic conductivity (k) of SB walls. Slurry wall “hang-up” or arching is dependent on shear along the wall of the trench and on a coefficient of lateral earth pressure (K). Consolidated drained (CD) shear box tests were conducted to study the shear strength parameters of the backfill mixes. Six inch proctor mold was modified with load cells on the side walls to measure horizontal stresses along with consolidation. This was used to calculate coefficient of lateral earth pressure, K (which is the ratio of horizontal to vertical effective stress). The results of the laboratory testing program found that K was relatively independent of the percentage of fines present in the SB mix. It also showed that backfill angle of internal friction and k of the backfill decreased with increased fines content. The results of the laboratory testing program were used to model the vertical stress distribution in deep walls. An analytical model (discrete model) and a coupled seepage stress-strain finite element model (FEM) were used to predict vertical stress changes with time and depth for the different backfill materials. The primary conclusion of this research is that slurry wall backfill arching or “hang-up” significantly delays the magnitude and timing of vertical stress build-up in backfill. This loss of vertical stress results in backfill with lower density and higher hydraulic conductivity. The situation was found to be most critical for deep narrow slurry walls. Any advantage in using a coarser graded backfill was offset by higher backfill hydraulic conductivity. The net result is that the upper portions of slurry walls may not be able to achieve their hydraulic conductivity objectives as soon as expected, if at all. In addition, the backfill in the upper portion of the trench may be susceptible to chemical attack and osmotic consolidation. Construction of a 2 m high surcharge berm over the slurry wall was found to increase vertical effective stress and result in significantly lower (2 to 8 times) hydraulic conductivity values in the top 5 metres of the trench. The final hydraulic conductivity (k) at a depth of 5 m was approximately 75 % lower with a surcharge berm. Thus, construction of a surcharge berm over the slurry wall helps to satisfy the k requirement for SB walls and lowers the risk of osmotic consolidation.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第23557号 / 地環博第214号 / 新制||地環||41(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)教授 勝見 武, 准教授 高井 敦史, 教授 木村 亮 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

Soil-bentonite cutoff walls are commonly used to contain contaminants in the subsurface. A key property in determining the effectiveness of a cutoff wall is its hydraulic conductivity. There are important difficulties and uncertainties regarding the accuracy of commonly used methods of measuring the hydraulic conductivity of cutoff walls. When predicting contaminant transport through cutoff walls, common practice is to use the average hydraulic conductivity of the wall. There are some cases, however, such as circumferential cutoff walls with inward hydraulic gradients, where it is also important to consider the variability in hydraulic conductivity from point to point in the wall in contaminant transport studies. A pilot-scale facility was envisioned where subsurface barrier issues such as those mentioned above could be studied. In 1998, the Subsurface Barrier Test Facility (SBTF) was constructed. In this facility, pilot-scale subsurface barriers can be installed using real construction equipment and tested in a controlled environment. The effectiveness of various methods of measuring the hydraulic conductivity of cutoff walls was studied by building and testing three pilot-scale soil-bentonite cutoff walls at the SBTF. The following currently used test methods were evaluated: API tests on grab samples, lab tests on undisturbed samples, piezometer tests (slug tests), and piezocone soundings. The use of slug tests in cutoff walls was improved in this research in the areas of avoiding hydraulic fracture and accounting for the close proximity of the trench walls. The SBTF allows for measurement of the global, average hydraulic conductivity of an installed pilot-scale cutoff wall, which is a useful value to compare to the results of the above-mentioned tests. The two main factors differentiating the results of the different test methods used for the pilot-scale walls were remolding and sample size. Remolding of the API samples significantly reduced the hydraulic conductivity of these samples compared to the hydraulic conductivity measured in lab tests on undisturbed samples, which were of similar size. For the other tests, the degree and extent of remolding were less significant compared to in the API tests. For these tests, the scale of the measurement is believed to be the main factor differentiating the results. Hydraulic conductivity was found to increase as the sample volume increased, with the global measurement of the average hydraulic conductivity producing the highest value. The influence of variability in hydraulic conductivity on contaminant transport through cutoff walls was studied from a theoretical standpoint using the one-dimensional advection-diffusion equation. Charts were developed that can be used to estimate the flux through a cutoff wall based on knowledge of the average hydraulic conductivity of the wall and an estimate of the variability in hydraulic conductivity. Data sets of hydraulic conductivity from lab tests on soil-bentonite samples from four cutoff wall case histories were used to estimate typical values of variability. The contaminant transport analyses showed that the effect of variability may be significant when the hydraulic gradient opposes the concentration gradient, which is the case for a circumferential cutoff wall with an inward hydraulic gradient. The goal of a circumferential cutoff wall with an inward hydraulic gradient is to reduce the outward diffusive flux of contaminant by inducing an inward advective flux. The effect of variability in hydraulic conductivity is to reduce the effectiveness of this scheme. / Ph. D.

A soil-bentonite cutoff wall is a type of subsurface vertical barrier constructed by back-filling a trench with a mixture of soil, bentonite, and water. Although soil-bentonite cutoff walls are common, their mechanical behavior is not well understood. Current design procedures do not consider the final stress state of the consolidated soil-bentonite backfill or deformations in adjacent ground. The final stress state in the completed wall is important because it influences the hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff (Barrier 1995), the cutoff's susceptibility to hydraulic fracture, and the magnitude of deformations adjacent to the cutoff wall. Deformations adjacent to the cutoff wall can be significant and can cause damage to adjacent structures. The objectives of this research are to 1) add to the current body of knowledge of the properties of soil-bentonite mixtures, 2) evaluate constitutive models and select a model to represent soil-bentonite, 3) model a soil-bentonite cutoff wall using finite elements, and 4) investigate the influence of several factors on the deformations in adjacent ground. These objectives were met by first summarizing information from the literature on soil-bentonite properties and then performing a laboratory testing program on different soil-bentonite mixtures. Five constitutive models were evaluated to determine how well they match the data from the laboratory testing program. A model referred to as the RS model was chosen to best represent soil-bentonite, and provided a good match of the soil-bentonite behavior. The RS model, which is a special case of a more complicated existing model, is a non-associative Modified Cam Clay type model that has parameters to change the yield surface and plastic potential surface into ellipses of varying shapes. The RS model was implemented into the finite element program SAGE. A finite element model was developed using SAGE to simulate all stages of construction of a soil-bentonite cutoff wall including excavation of a trench under bentonite-water slurry, replacement of the bentonite-water slurry with soil-bentonite backfill, and consolidation of the soil-bentonite backfill. The model was calibrated with a well-documented case history, and predicted deformations in adjacent ground were close to measured deformations. Evaluation of the model indicates that there is good confidence in the prediction of deformations in adjacent ground, but there is lower confidence in the predicted stresses in the consolidated soil-bentonite and settlement of the backfill in the trench. A parametric study was then performed using the finite element model assuming sand sites of varying density and OCR. Deformations in adjacent ground were calculated for various soil conditions, soil-bentonite properties, and trench configurations. A correlation was found between maximum calculated settlement in adjacent ground and factor of safety against trench / Ph. D.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a influência do acréscimo de 4% de bentonita sódica, da anisotropia inerente, produzida pela compactação, e do estado de tensões no comportamento hidráulico de um solo areno-argiloso encontrado na região Costeira Sul do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Neste estudo, busca-se não somente viabilizar o emprego do referido solo como barreira mineral em obras de proteção ambiental, mas também verificar seu desempenho, quando misturado ao aditivo, perante as condições de fluxo de água experimentalmente impostas, antes e depois da fase de consolidação, nas direções normal e paralela aos planos de orientação preferencial das partículas e poros a elas associados. Com o escopo de atingir tais objetivos, executaram-se dois métodos de compactação (ensaios Mini e Proctor Normal) para a moldagem de corpos de prova com planos de orientação preferencial das partículas ou de compactação normais (θ = 90º) e paralelos (θ = 0º) à vertical. As amostras de solo e mistura foram compactadas na energia Proctor Normal e submetidas aos ensaios triaxiais de condutividade hidráulica, em permeâmetro de parede flexível à carga constante, e de consolidação. A técnica permitiu determinar a condutividade hidráulica dos materiais para vazões desenvolvidas preferencialmente nas direções normal e paralela aos planos de compactação dos corpos de prova. Os resultados demonstram que o acréscimo de 4% de bentonita sódica provoca uma redução da condutividade hidráulica do solo, que supera o valor mínimo exigido de 10-9 m/s em ambas as direções de fluxo, habilitando o emprego deste material para a aplicação prevista. Além disso, verifica-se que a compactação confere um comportamento hidráulico anisotrópico ao solo, no entanto, quando misturado ao aditivo no teor indicado, seu comportamento se modifica, tornando-se mais isotrópico. Os resultados ainda revelam que o efeito da tensão de confinamento sobre a diminuição da condutividade hidráulica do solo e da mistura se mostra significativo para ambas as modalidades experimentais. / This work proposes to evaluate the influence of the inherent anisotropy, promoted by compaction, and the confining pressure on the hydraulic behavior of a clayey sand from the south coastal region of Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil), in pure condition and mixed with 4% sodium bentonite content. This study aims to make possible the use of this soil as mineral barrier in environmental protection works, as well as evaluating the hydraulic behavior of both materials (soil and mixture), before and after the consolidation stage, when developed water flow conditions in the perpendicular and parallel directions in relation to the compaction planes of the compacted samples. In order to achieve these objectives, was performed a Standard Proctor Test and an alternative compaction test (Mini-test), intending to get specimens with compaction planes in the perpendicular (θ= 90º) and parallel (θ = 0º) directions in relation to the vertical. The soil and mixture samples were compacted at Normal Proctor energy and subjected to the triaxial consolidation and hydraulic conductivity tests. The technique allowed to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity of the specimens for flow perpendicular and parallel to the directions of the compaction planes. The results indicate that the increase of 4% sodium bentonite content reduces the hydraulic conductivity of the soil in both flow directions, making it suitable for employment as protection system in sanitary landfills or in other similar applications. Furthermore, it is observed that compaction provides anisotropic hydraulic behavior to the soil, however, when it is mixed with 4% sodium bentonite content, its behavior changes, becoming more isotropic. The results also reveal that the effect of the confining pressure on the decrease in hydraulic conductivity of the soil and mixture is significant in both adopted experimental conditions.

The aim of this present research is to improve the containment properties of clayey soil by the use of bentonite and polymers as the additives. Clayey soils are generally used for the control of soil and water pollutions as they are inexpensive material. However, their applications are limited when it comes to durability of such liners in the field condition. Addition of additives to increase their efficiency by reducing the hydraulic conductivity can overcome this limitation. Generally, bentonite is used as the effective barrier additives because of their ability to render high swell and reduced hydraulic conductivity to the soil-bentonite mixtures. Due to high specific surface area and large cation exchange capacity, bentonite is always preferred for containment application. Despite their wide applicability in containment barrier, the problem with bentonite is its reduction of swell when the contaminant of interest consists of multivalent ions. Higher valency ions attach to the exchange site of bentonite and thus reduce its efficiency. To overcome these constraints the bentonite has, polymers are being used for containment applications. Normally, anionic polymers are used for such containment applications which help in increase negative charge concentration of the clayey soils. Previous studies have also proved the effectiveness of polymer in increasing the retardation factor of the soil which is due to the adsorption of contaminants to the negatively charged surface of clay. Hence attempt is also made in this thesis to study the effectiveness of super absorbent polymers when used as additive to the clayey soil. In this thesis, effectiveness of the local Bangalore soil for its use as barrier material is studied. Tests are done on the compacted sample to determine its contaminant transport properties. Because of their low hydraulic conductivities, advective flux through the barriers is negligible. In such cases, contaminant migration takes place due to the difference in concentration and this transport mechanism is known as diffusion. Laboratory test have been done to determine the diffusion coefficient of soil when the soil is saturated. For barriers and liner systems which are not fully saturated, suction adds to the hydraulic head. For unsaturated samples, although the liquid phase diffusion have been found to be nominal, head difference caused due to suction facilitates the migration of contaminants. Hence, effects of initial degree of saturation and density in contaminant transport process through soils have been examined. An attempt has been made to study unsaturated transport properties by using saturated transport parameters and unsaturated soil parameters obtained from soil-water characteristics curve. Another focus of this thesis has been towards enhancing the containment property of local soil by using additives. Effects of addition of bentonite and polymer on contaminant transport parameters of the soil have been studied. An attempt has been made to reduce the hydraulic conductivity of soil by using additives like bentonite. In addition, use of super-absorbent polymer as a novel material for barrier application has been studied to determine its suitability for local conditions. Experiments have been conducted to determine free swell, hydraulic conductivity and diffusion coefficient of soil-bentonite and soil-polymer mixes and compare them to those of local soil. To determine the effectiveness of soil-bentonite and soil-polymer mixes under the attack of concentrated solution over a long duration, chemical compatibility tests have been carried out. Micro-structural changes in the soil on addition of bentonite and polymer have been studied with the help of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Mineralogical changes occurring in the soil due to the additives have been studied using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) plots. Effects of salt solution on soil-bentonite and soil-polymer mixes have also been studied by the help of SEM images and XRD plots. The final section of this thesis is on analysis of barrier performance for different conditions of densities, compaction and saturation by using numerical software CODE_BRIGHT. Transport parameters obtained from the experiments conducted in previous sections have been used as input for the analysis. A field condition of Bingipura landfill site in South Bangalore, Bangalore city has been simulated as a case study for this thesis. Time taken for contaminants to migrate from landfill to the nearby water body which is at a distance of about 122 meters is calculated for no barrier case. When barrier is provided, concentration variations of contaminant through the barrier with time are plotted and the results are compared for soil barrier, soil-bentonite barrier and soil-polymer barrier. v

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a influência do acréscimo de 4% de bentonita sódica, da anisotropia inerente, produzida pela compactação, e do estado de tensões no comportamento hidráulico de um solo areno-argiloso encontrado na região Costeira Sul do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Neste estudo, busca-se não somente viabilizar o emprego do referido solo como barreira mineral em obras de proteção ambiental, mas também verificar seu desempenho, quando misturado ao aditivo, perante as condições de fluxo de água experimentalmente impostas, antes e depois da fase de consolidação, nas direções normal e paralela aos planos de orientação preferencial das partículas e poros a elas associados. Com o escopo de atingir tais objetivos, executaram-se dois métodos de compactação (ensaios Mini e Proctor Normal) para a moldagem de corpos de prova com planos de orientação preferencial das partículas ou de compactação normais (θ = 90º) e paralelos (θ = 0º) à vertical. As amostras de solo e mistura foram compactadas na energia Proctor Normal e submetidas aos ensaios triaxiais de condutividade hidráulica, em permeâmetro de parede flexível à carga constante, e de consolidação. A técnica permitiu determinar a condutividade hidráulica dos materiais para vazões desenvolvidas preferencialmente nas direções normal e paralela aos planos de compactação dos corpos de prova. Os resultados demonstram que o acréscimo de 4% de bentonita sódica provoca uma redução da condutividade hidráulica do solo, que supera o valor mínimo exigido de 10-9 m/s em ambas as direções de fluxo, habilitando o emprego deste material para a aplicação prevista. Além disso, verifica-se que a compactação confere um comportamento hidráulico anisotrópico ao solo, no entanto, quando misturado ao aditivo no teor indicado, seu comportamento se modifica, tornando-se mais isotrópico. Os resultados ainda revelam que o efeito da tensão de confinamento sobre a diminuição da condutividade hidráulica do solo e da mistura se mostra significativo para ambas as modalidades experimentais. / This work proposes to evaluate the influence of the inherent anisotropy, promoted by compaction, and the confining pressure on the hydraulic behavior of a clayey sand from the south coastal region of Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil), in pure condition and mixed with 4% sodium bentonite content. This study aims to make possible the use of this soil as mineral barrier in environmental protection works, as well as evaluating the hydraulic behavior of both materials (soil and mixture), before and after the consolidation stage, when developed water flow conditions in the perpendicular and parallel directions in relation to the compaction planes of the compacted samples. In order to achieve these objectives, was performed a Standard Proctor Test and an alternative compaction test (Mini-test), intending to get specimens with compaction planes in the perpendicular (θ= 90º) and parallel (θ = 0º) directions in relation to the vertical. The soil and mixture samples were compacted at Normal Proctor energy and subjected to the triaxial consolidation and hydraulic conductivity tests. The technique allowed to evaluate the hydraulic conductivity of the specimens for flow perpendicular and parallel to the directions of the compaction planes. The results indicate that the increase of 4% sodium bentonite content reduces the hydraulic conductivity of the soil in both flow directions, making it suitable for employment as protection system in sanitary landfills or in other similar applications. Furthermore, it is observed that compaction provides anisotropic hydraulic behavior to the soil, however, when it is mixed with 4% sodium bentonite content, its behavior changes, becoming more isotropic. The results also reveal that the effect of the confining pressure on the decrease in hydraulic conductivity of the soil and mixture is significant in both adopted experimental conditions.

A utilização do solo natural compactado com bentonita empregado em camadas impermeáveis para retenção de contaminantes é bastante usual para aterros sanitários. Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados de ensaios condutividade hidráulica e de resistência ao cisalhamento, realizados em equipamentos triaxiais. Além do solo natural, foram utilizadas misturas solo-bentonita nos teores de 2%, 4% e 6%. O solo arenoso ensaiado é encontrado na Planície Costeira Sul do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os valores de condutividade hidráulica diminuiram tanto com o acréscimo do teor de bentonita, quanto com o aumento da tensão de confinamento. A condutividade hidráulica do solo apresentou uma redução de três ordens de grandeza quando este foi compactado com 6% de bentonita (de \'10 POT.-7\' para \'10 POT.-10\' m/s). Em relação a resistência ao cisalhamento do material, constatou-se que com o acréscimo do teor bentonita de 0 para 6%, a coesão efetiva aumentou (de 2,3 para 12,8 kPa) e o ângulo de atrito efetivo diminuiu (de 22,7º pra 14,0º). / Compacted soil-bentonite mixtures used as impermeable layers for retention of contaminants is quite usual in landfills. This paper presents the results of hydraulic conductivity and shear strength tests conducted in a triaxial apparatus. Natural soil, and soil-bentonite mixtures at 2%, 4% and 6% concentrations were tested. The sandy soil tested is found in the Southern Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul. The hydraulic conductivity decreased with both the increase of bentonite content and increase of confining stress. Compared to natural soil, the hydraulic conductivity of compacted soil-bentonite mixtures at 6% content decreased by three orders of magnitude (from \'10 POT.-7\' to \'10 POT.-10\' m/s). Regarding the material shear strength, it was found that when the natural soil is compared to compacted soil-bentonite mixtures at 6% content, the effective cohesion increased (from 2.3 to 12.8 kPa) and the effective friction angle decreased (from 22. 7º to 14.0º).

A utilização do solo natural compactado com bentonita empregado em camadas impermeáveis para retenção de contaminantes é bastante usual para aterros sanitários. Neste trabalho são apresentados resultados de ensaios condutividade hidráulica e de resistência ao cisalhamento, realizados em equipamentos triaxiais. Além do solo natural, foram utilizadas misturas solo-bentonita nos teores de 2%, 4% e 6%. O solo arenoso ensaiado é encontrado na Planície Costeira Sul do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os valores de condutividade hidráulica diminuiram tanto com o acréscimo do teor de bentonita, quanto com o aumento da tensão de confinamento. A condutividade hidráulica do solo apresentou uma redução de três ordens de grandeza quando este foi compactado com 6% de bentonita (de \'10 POT.-7\' para \'10 POT.-10\' m/s). Em relação a resistência ao cisalhamento do material, constatou-se que com o acréscimo do teor bentonita de 0 para 6%, a coesão efetiva aumentou (de 2,3 para 12,8 kPa) e o ângulo de atrito efetivo diminuiu (de 22,7º pra 14,0º). / Compacted soil-bentonite mixtures used as impermeable layers for retention of contaminants is quite usual in landfills. This paper presents the results of hydraulic conductivity and shear strength tests conducted in a triaxial apparatus. Natural soil, and soil-bentonite mixtures at 2%, 4% and 6% concentrations were tested. The sandy soil tested is found in the Southern Coastal Plain of Rio Grande do Sul. The hydraulic conductivity decreased with both the increase of bentonite content and increase of confining stress. Compared to natural soil, the hydraulic conductivity of compacted soil-bentonite mixtures at 6% content decreased by three orders of magnitude (from \'10 POT.-7\' to \'10 POT.-10\' m/s). Regarding the material shear strength, it was found that when the natural soil is compared to compacted soil-bentonite mixtures at 6% content, the effective cohesion increased (from 2.3 to 12.8 kPa) and the effective friction angle decreased (from 22. 7º to 14.0º).