tackling uncertainties with geomembranes

Some of the uncertainties that dam engineering must face are related to and influence the design of the dam: characteristics and behaviour of foundations and of materials used to construct the dam, seismic events, swelling processes, temperature effects, etc. Other uncertainties are related to construction and are also affected by weather conditions: time required for erecting the dam, craftsmanship and quality of construction, effectiveness of quality control. All these elements have a direct effect on costs, which therefore become a further uncertainty. The paper analyses how geomembrane systems adopted in various types of applications have provided a beneficial effect to minimise these uncertainties. Various aspects are discussed with significant case histories addressing the technical, constructional and economical perspective. The results and performance of such applications show that geomembranes can be a very effective, and sometimes underestimated, ally to tackle and minimize many uncertainties of dam design, construction, performance, and cost effectiveness

Keywords:

Geomembrane , Geocomposite , Drainage