Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/R98150/01
Title:	Insitu Assessment of Contaminant Containment Systems
Principal Investigator:	Soga, Professor K
Other Investigators:	Mair, Professor L
Researcher Co-Investigators:	Dr P Tedd
Project Partners:	BRE Group (Building Res Establishment) Cambridge Insitu
Department:	Engineering
Organisation:	University of Cambridge
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 January 2003	Ends:	30 June 2006	Value (£):	203,765
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Ground Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Cement-bentonite and clay liner systems are used as components of containment systems by the environmental industry to control the migration of pollution. In the interest of public safety, following construction, there is a requirement to test these structures in orde to assess if they meet the design critetia. At present this is done only indirectly via laboratory testing on samples obtained from the material used in construction. Unfortunately, there are currently no acceptable methods for measuring the insitu permeability of these barrier systems. A novel procedure for measuring the verical and horizontal permeabilities of soils has been recently developed by Cambridge University and has been successfully used in natural soils. It is proposed that this technique can be used to measure engineering properties (stiffness, strength and permeability) of materials used for contaminant containment systems. Preliminary field tests have been conducted on a cement-bentonite cut-off wall and some potential problems have been identified. The proposed research will explore these problems in more detailed. In the project, extensive field and laboratory testing will be conducted to evalualte various insitu methods for permeability determination of slurry walls. The extent of material disturbance and fracturing during drilling and testing will be examined. A new specially made instrumented self-boring device will be used to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of drilling into soils. A guidance for the use of various insitu testing methods to assess conditions of containment systems will be developed.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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