Mechanical response of geomembrane seepage barrier in side slope of an evaporation pond

The evaporation pond with seepage barrier can store waste liquid, limit pollution and extract solution through evaporation by sunlight. In the areas without natural barrier, such as clay, geomembrane is usually applied. So the physical and mechanical properties of geomembrane are essential to the seepage controlling. During construction and operation of evaporation ponds, soft geomembrane will interact with the surrounding relative rigid foundation and protection cover, and its performance is affected. Taken an evaporation pond sited in cold region as an example, the mechanical response of geomembrane to construction, impounding and expansion of ice is investigated. It is shown that two interactions exist between the geomembrane and the surrounding materials. One is interface friction and the other is coordinate deformation along the same direction. The effect of impounding and expansion can be applied to the geomembrane through protection cover. Stress concentration appeares at anchor trench, thus the geomembrane should be able to move in the anchor trench before breaking. If the simulated deformation is limited by the ways of modelling, stresses should be taken to determine the state of geomembrane. © 2016, Chinese Society of Civil Engineering. All right reserved.