Large scale field trial in a landfill cover system with veneer reinforcement

Landfill cover systems are often composed of the succession of different soils and geosynthetics serving specific functions. When the systems are laid on slopes, high tensile forces are generated by the weight of the top soil that tends to move the system downwards. The use of high strength geogrids is nowadays a well-established technology that enables the safe construction of such slopes and limit the tensile force transfer to the sealing system. To better investigate the behavior of the geogrid in such conditions, a field trial was carried out in a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill cover system with geosynthetics. In the large scale trial, the geogrid behavior was analyzed in terms of deformation during different phases: installation, monitoring and controlled failure. Different displacement transducers were installed in the geogrid along the slope length and the anchor trench. The system was continuously monitored during one month after construction and after that it was brought to a controlled failure. In this paper, the setup of the field trial and the preliminary results during installation, monitoring and failure of the system are presented and discussed.