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Soil Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Walls: History, Design, and Construction Practices
Slurry trench cutoff walls have been widely used for over 70 years to control groundwater flow, seepage through dams and levees, and contaminant transport. In the US, soil-bentonite (SB) slurry walls are frequently the best and most economical vertical barrier to stop the horizontal flow of groundwater and minimize contaminant transport. This paper reviews the development of SB cutoff walls from both a construction and design standpoint. Lessons learned regarding trench stability, the type of bentonite, the makeup of the backfill, specifications, quality control, interface connections, longevity, hydraulic conductivity, state-of-stress, and compatibility with contaminants are presented. Items of particular importance in specifications including viscosity of the fresh slurry, viscosity of the in-trench slurry, unit weight of the slurry, slump, gradation, and hydraulic conductivity of the backfill are discussed. Guidance for quality control testing in both the lab and field are provided including recommendations regarding stresses for testing. The paper provides summary opinions regarding the limitations of SB slurry walls. Issues that require special consideration are identified and include excessive depth, limited available working platform width, excessive underground or overhead obstructions, artesian ground water conditions, layers of extremely weak soil, and rock or boulders in the soil profile.
Soil Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Walls: History, Design, and Construction Practices
Slurry trench cutoff walls have been widely used for over 70 years to control groundwater flow, seepage through dams and levees, and contaminant transport. In the US, soil-bentonite (SB) slurry walls are frequently the best and most economical vertical barrier to stop the horizontal flow of groundwater and minimize contaminant transport. This paper reviews the development of SB cutoff walls from both a construction and design standpoint. Lessons learned regarding trench stability, the type of bentonite, the makeup of the backfill, specifications, quality control, interface connections, longevity, hydraulic conductivity, state-of-stress, and compatibility with contaminants are presented. Items of particular importance in specifications including viscosity of the fresh slurry, viscosity of the in-trench slurry, unit weight of the slurry, slump, gradation, and hydraulic conductivity of the backfill are discussed. Guidance for quality control testing in both the lab and field are provided including recommendations regarding stresses for testing. The paper provides summary opinions regarding the limitations of SB slurry walls. Issues that require special consideration are identified and include excessive depth, limited available working platform width, excessive underground or overhead obstructions, artesian ground water conditions, layers of extremely weak soil, and rock or boulders in the soil profile.
Soil Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Walls: History, Design, and Construction Practices
Ryan, Christopher (author) / Ruffing, Daniel (author) / Evans, Jeffrey C. (author)
Geo-Congress 2022 ; 2022 ; Charlotte, North Carolina
Geo-Congress 2022 ; 89-99
2022-03-17
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
Soil Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Walls: History, Design, and Construction Practices
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