A Review of Fluid Movement in Compacted Clay: The Case of Macropore Flow

by Wade E. Hathhorn, Washington State Univ, Pullman, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Engineering Hydrology

Abstract:

In constructing natural hydraulic barriers to infiltration, a typical design is one founded on the use of layers of compacted clay. Unfortunately, in analyzing the hydraulic performance of these systems, it is common for the potential for macropore flow to be ignored. In pursuing an improved method of analysis, an 'effective continuum' approach is proposed for estimating the volumetric flux of water through macroporous clays. In illustrating the utility of this approach, a modification to the USEPA's HELP model is presented which highlights a basic evaluation of hydrologic performance for a municipal landfill in the presence of a macroporous soil barrier.

Subject Headings: Compacted soils | Soil pollution | Clays | Fluid flow | Landfills | Hydrologic models | Continuum mechanics

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