Hydraulic conductivity changes in compacted clayey barriers due to temperature variations in landfill top covers

In landfills, due to their low hydraulic conductivity, compacted clays (CC) are commonly used in multilayered structures as base liners and cover systems. Nevertheless, the hydraulic performances of the CC layer can be affected by temperature alterations. The CC barrier of cover systems is exposed to heating caused by waste degradation processes as well as by the air temperature fluctuations, including freezing and thawing and high temperatures. Exposition occurs especially during transitory configurations when the final cap is not completed with the protective soil layers. In the present work, four clayey soils of varying plasticity all suitable for landfill barriers according to the international standard requirements are tested with respect to their sensitivity to thermal stresses in terms of hydraulic conductivity changes. For each material, experimental tests are performed on compacted specimens comparing the values obtained soon after compaction with the ones obtained after exposition to freezing–thawing or drying processes, the latter caused by heating up to 60 °C. The results show that freezing–thawing is more detrimental than heating, since the first can increase the hydraulic conductivity by up to about 20 times,while the second by less than 10 times. The soils of medium plasticity are the most affected, while the ones with high plasticity show the ability to partially withstand the effects of the investigated thermal alterations. This behavior seems related to the water absorption capacity of the material. The results suggest that the optimum water content acquired from the Proctor Standard curve seems to be a suitable indicator of this partial recovery potential.