A micromechanical model of PVC geomembranes using discrete element method

The growing concern regarding waste and water management is pushing the worldwide geomembrane market, thanks to its excellent technical and economical solutions. They have contributed greatly to the completion of many projects, such as reservoir storing water. Geomembranes are not designed to provide structural resistance but frequently undergo mechanical actions that may mishandle their impermeable properties. For instance, the contact between a geomembrane and a drainage (granular) layer increases the risk of puncture. In this study, we adopt an original multiscale view of a geomembrane to relate microstructural features to its macroscopic mechanical properties. A micromechanical model has been developed based on the discrete element method (DEM) to derive the mechanical response of a Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) geomembrane from the modeling of its microstructure. Such an approach offers the potential to understand the elementary mechanisms responsible for the mechanical response and the puncture failure mode of PVC geomembranes.