A non-destructive method for testing non-flexible dual geomembrane seams using gas permeation

Abstract

A non-destructive test is proposed to control in situ non-flexible geomembrane seams carried out by means of the thermal hot dual wedge method. It consists in pressurising the gap between the two welds by gas injection at a specific pressure and in monitoring the evolution of pressure over time. The migration of gas across the geomembrane is indicated by a decrease in pressure. A permeation parameter (the time constant) can then be estimated under unsteady-state conditions. Experiments were performed outdoors, under variable ambient conditions, to test the feasibility of the method in field conditions as well as in the laboratory, and under controlled ambient conditions to check the validity of the method. The results show that a poor seam from a mechanical point of view is also a poor seam from a permeation point of view. It is also shown that the non-destructive method presented here may be used in situ to test the entire seam. Hence the test is complementary to peel tests, because it reveals poor seams undetectable by the pressurised dual seam method, in pond applications where non-flexible geomembranes are placed.