R.F. Wilson-Fahmy PUNCTURE PROTECTION OF GEOMEMBRANES

ABSTRACT: Geomembrane protection materials should be considered in design if geomembranes are to properly serve the role of barrier materials. The type, thickness and properties of the required protection material are in significant need of a rational design method. This series of three papers provides a design method for the inclusion of geomembrane protectionmaterials, geotextiles in particular. Part I focuses on theory, this paper, Part II, focuses on experiments, and Part III focuses on design examples. In this paper, truncated cone and stone puncture test results for both short and long term durations are presented. A 1.5 mm thick high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomem-brane, and various nonwoven needle-punched geotextiles with varying masses per unit area made from virgin polyester and polypropylene continuous and staple fibers were tested. Using the results of this testing program, a design methodology was developed for calculating the required mass per unit area of a puncture protection material for a given factor of safety. Conversely, the design can be used to determine the unknow