Liquid Flow Through Composite Liners due to Geomembrane Defects: Analytical Solutions for Axi-Symmetric and Two-Dimensional Problems

Abstract

A general framework for calculating the rate of liquid flow through a composite liner (geomembrane plus soil liner) with holes is presented. Solutions given for a circular hole and a damaged wrinkle can be used for interpreting data from laboratory tests, modelling expected field conditions, and interpreting field leakage data. A number of existing solutions arise from the general solution as special cases. Finally, the paper is extended to consider the potential interaction between damaged wrinkles, and it is theoretically shown that while this may be an important issue for composite liners incorporating a compacted clay liner, it is far less likely to be significant for those incorporating a geosynthetic clay liner.