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The International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics

ICEG 2018: Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics Volume 2 pp 616–623Cite as

A Review of Experimental and Prediction Methods for Assessing the Freezing Characteristic Curve of GCLs

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Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVENG))

Abstract

Geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) are an important part of composite hydraulic barriers in environmental projects, with recent applications in harsh conditions such as in Antarctica. To assure an adequate hydraulic performance of the GCL, the bentonite of the GCL needs to be well-hydrated. However, the sub-zero temperatures attained in Antarctica freeze the water inside the bentonite, and as a result, the hydration process stops with potential consequences on the hydraulic performance of the GCL. To predict the impact of freezing on GCL performance, it is essential to obtain the unsaturated freeze property functions (UFPFs) for the bentonite. The freezing characteristic curve (FCC), which relates the unfrozen water content with freezing temperatures, is the first of the UFPFs, and can be obtained experimentally or by prediction methods. This paper reviews the concepts leading to the determination of the FCC, its relationship with the other UFPFs and its importance for predicting GCL performance in cold regions.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported under the Australian Research Council’s Linkage Projects funding scheme (project number LP140100516). The first author thanks the Peruvian National Program of Scholarships and Student Loans (PRONABEC) for funding his Ph.D. studies. The authors also acknowledge the funding provided to this project by Geofabrics Australasia Pty. Ltd.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Australia

    G. G. Carnero-Guzman & A. Bouazza

  2. Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

    W. P. Gates

  3. Geoengineering Centre at Queen’s-RMC, Department of Civil Engineering, Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada

    R. K. Rowe

Authors
  1. G. G. Carnero-Guzman
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  2. A. Bouazza
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  3. W. P. Gates
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  4. R. K. Rowe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. G. Carnero-Guzman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Soft Soils and Geoenvironmental Engineering, College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Liangtong Zhan

  2. MOE Key Laboratory of Soft Soils and Geoenvironmental Engineering, College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China

    Yunmin Chen

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Abdelmalek Bouazza

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Carnero-Guzman, G.G., Bouazza, A., Gates, W.P., Rowe, R.K. (2019). A Review of Experimental and Prediction Methods for Assessing the Freezing Characteristic Curve of GCLs. In: Zhan, L., Chen, Y., Bouazza, A. (eds) Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on Environmental Geotechnics Volume 2. ICEG 2018. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2224-2_76

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