Sustainable and Stable Clay Sand Liners over Time

The washout of fine materials from liners consisting of clay–sand mixtures is expected to influence the hydraulic conductivity. Clay sand liners must be assessed for efficiency when initially subjected to flood or standing water as the wetting under a hydraulic gradient can cause fine material to move and migrate away from the mixture. During wetting and drying complex expansion and shrinkage, changes take place. These changes affect the hydraulic conductivity and are likely to go out of the design range set out for the facility. The research covers the behavior of two clay sand liners tested over an extended time. The hydraulic conductivity measured under a specific hydraulic gradient was measured continuously following the establishment of the test set-up. Self-recording sensors were used to measure the temperature during the tests. The results indicated that the hydraulic conductivity reduces after an initial period of increase and fluctuation caused by the loss of mass because of fine material migration and swelling initiated due to the high content of smectite minerals. The testing and monitoring continued for more than 400 days. The permanent reduction in the hydraulic conductivity occurs after the initial period of repeated rise and fall. The extent of the initial period for the two tested mixtures is subject to the fine content mass and the clay mineralogy. The continuous reduction in the hydraulic conductivity after the initial period is due to the rearrangement of particles and compression in the sand–clay mixture.