BARRIER TECHNOLOGY

&
SLURRY TRENCH CUT-OFF WALL

Yılmaz Emre Sarıçiçek

Middle East Technical University

Civil Engineering Department
12/16/2014 1
Geotechnical Engineering
 VERTICAL CUT-OFF BARRIERS
Slurry Walls, Sheet Pile Walls, Frozen Barriers, In Situ Soil Mixing, Composite Walls, Grout Barriers ,
Permeable Reactive Barriers etc.
Why and when do we need vertical barriers ?
• Control over Fluids Groundwater , Contaminants, Water Treatment

• Site Dewatering Geotechnical Problems

• Seepage Barriers Dams & Levees

• Hydraulic Isolation Lagoons , Ponds etc.

• In disposal facilities without liner / leachate collection system

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 2
Geotechnical Engineering Division
 Slurry wall consist of a mixture of soil, bentonite clay, and water, poured
into trenches as a “slurry.”

Slurry Walls

Cutoff - Barrier Structural

• Support excavations and
structures

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 3
Geotechnical Engineering Division
SLURRY WALLS
•• In
  short, a vertical trench is
excavated
(along the perimeter)
and then it is filled with
• Bentonite slurry
for support
• And backfilled with low
permeability material
( or lower )

Soil Bentonite Cutoff Wall Operation

• Keyed-in has proven to be one of
the most effective vertical
configuration of slurry walls
Prior to Construction

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 4
Geotechnical Engineering Division
 Prior to Construction
What is required before construction ?
• Permeability

• Hydraulic Gradients

• Wall Strength Generally formed from montmorillonite clays

• Availability of Bentonite Should be pulverized in powder or granular form

• Contamination Boundary

• Backfill Material Characteristics soil-bentonite, cement-bentonite

soil-cement-bentonite
• Site Layout

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 5
Geotechnical Engineering Division
 Construction Technique
Equipment
In General,

• Backhoe
10 m
• Backhoe with an
extended boom
15 m
18 m
• Clamshell Excavator
50 m

• Generally 0.6 to 1.2 meters in

thickness

• For unstable soft soils or highly contaminated ones , special equipment can be used rather than conventional
ones.
Middle East Technical University
12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 6
Geotechnical Engineering Division
• Slurry Batching Plant
To supply slurry to the trench pumps, valves, hoes, supply lines
if needed ; stoarge ponds

• Backfill Mixing
To mix and place backfill bulldozers, blade graders, pug mill

Before placing the backfill

a slump of 7.5 cm – 15 cm
should be maintained
( Soil Bentonite Trench Wall )

• Backfill Placement

Middle East Technical University Civil

12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 7
Engineering Division
 Slurry Wall Types
Typical Slurry Wall types and backfill mixes include:
• Soil-Bentonite (SB) Walls
• Soil-Attapulgite Walls
• Cement-Bentonite (CB) Walls
• Cement-Attapulgite Walls
• Soil-Cement-Bentonite (SCB) Walls
• Slag-Cement-Bentonite Walls
• Composite Liner Walls
• Biopolymer Slurry

Typical Slurry Wall Cross Section

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 8
Geotechnical Engineering Division
 Soil Bentonite ( SB ) Walls

Check For

• Density Stability

• pH pH < 1
pH > 11
( Dissolution of silica and aluminum )

• Viscosity Thickness of slurry

Middle East Technical University Civil

12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 9
Engineering Division
 Cement Bentonite Slurry Walls
• Bentonite and cement are mixed together as powder so that bentonite and cement do
not react when mixed together before filling the trench

• Excavated soil is not used

• Cement Bentonite walls strengthen depends on water cement ratio ( 10 to 20 % )

the wall, yet the permeability might be
more than expected , then

Additives ( e.g. ground blast slag )

• Contaminants may harm concrete, then

Fly ash can be used for long term performance

Middle East Technical University Civil
12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 10
Engineering Division
Soil-Cement-Bentonite Slurry Walls :
In terms of strength : Similar to Cement Bentonite Slurry Walls

In terms of hydraulic conductivity : Similar to Soil Bentonite Walls

Middle East Technical University Civil
12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 11
Engineering Division
Advantages & Disadvantages of Slurry Walls

Advantages (Pearlman, 1999; USEPA, 1998) Disadvantages (Sharma & Reddy, 2004)

•• Less
  than hydraulic conductivity can • Specialized equipment for depths
be maintained greater than 15 m
• Most common type of cutoff wall • Large excavation area, material
• Quick installation and well storage, excavated soil
understood practice • Difficulty in ensuring wall integrity
• Up to 60 m depths
• Visual inspection of key material

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 12
Geotechnical Engineering Division
 Comparison of Different Types of Slurry Walls

Middle East Technical University Civil

12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 13
Engineering Division
 Advantages & Disadvantages of Soil – Bentonite and Slag Cement Bentonite Slurry Walls

Middle East Technical University Civil

12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 14
Engineering Division
 Trench Stability
In cohesionless soils which are supported by clay slurries the dominant factors to be
accounted for :
• Hydrostatic pressure Most important mechanism ( Morgenstern & Tahmasseb )

• Arching of the soil The increase in density due to suspension of

cuttings must be considered
• Electro – osmotic forces

Stability of a Sliding Wedge

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12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 15
Engineering Division
 Verification
• Core drilling and sampling
• Inspection of the wall surface
• Instrumentation
• Laboratory testing etc.
• Numerical Models

Middle East Technical University Civil

12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 16
Engineering Division
 Case Study
• Case History : Vertical Barrier Wall System for Superfund Site

Middle East Technical University Civil

12/16/2014 Engineering Department Geotechnical 17
Engineering Division
 References
• http://www.geocon.net/vertical-barriers-slurry-walls.asp
• http://www.geoengineer.org/education/web-based-class-projects/geoenvironmental-remediation-
technologies/impermeable-barriers?start=2
• http://ce561.ce.metu.edu.tr/files/2013/11/slurry-trench-wall-1.pdf
• Slurry Walls: Design, Construction, and Quality Control, Issue 1129 edited by David B. Paul, Richard R.
Davidson, Nicholas J. Cavall
• http://www.responsiblebusiness.eu/display/rebwp8/Physical+Barriers
• http://www2.bren.ucsb.edu/~keller/courses/esm223/EPAonBarriers.pdf
• The Stability of a Slurry Trench in Cohesionless Soils , N. Morgenstern , Amir Tahmaseb
• Slurry Walls For Groundwater Control: A Comparison Of Uk And Us Practice, Jeffrey Evans, Andrew
Dawson, Shana Opdyke
• Case History : Vertical Barrier Wall System for Superfund Site,Koelling, Kovac, Norris

Middle East Technical University

12/16/2014 Civil Engineering Department 18
Geotechnical Engineering Division