Interface Behavior Analysis of Different Geomembrane Liner Systems Based on PIV Techniques

The interfacial friction performance of the liner system has an important influence on the overall stability of modern landfills, but the interface of the liner system using conventional geomembranes may have problems such as shear failure and slip along the liner system. Accordingly, the concept of a ribbed geomembrane was proposed. Based on the laboratory model tests, the variation laws of p-s curves and the additional stress of sand were studied under different values of shape, rib spacing, and rib height. A series of particle image velocimetry (PIV) analyses of sand particles were performed to provide insight into the reinforcement mechanism of the ribbed geomembrane liner system. The results indicated that the ribbed geomembrane could obviously improve the stability of the liner system compared with the smooth geomembrane. The ribbed geomembrane formed an indirect influence area with sand in a specific range. The ribbed geomembrane with optimal values of rib spacing and rib height was beneficial to reduce the settlement of the upper sand and the stress redistribution of the sand particles.