As Engineers, we use the term “failure” in a number of ways but know that it implies something did not perform as expected. Was it the fault of the “failed” thing or action, or was it a failure in how it was expected to perform, under those conditions? Regardless, we all know that failure brings negative connotations in many ways, and none are desirable.
Posted by
Felon Wilson on Feb 15, 2022 9:29:46 AM
Many engineers would argue that geomembranes are only fluid barriers and are not meant to be load bearing in any manner. All loads should be carried by geosynthetic counterparts, such as geotextiles, geogrids, etc., that are placed over and under the geomembrane. However, from a materials and installation standpoint, it is virtually impossible to transmit all load to the adjacent layers. Additionally, it is not usually cost-effective to build a heavily redundant composite system that takes all mechanical bearing off the geomembrane.