HDPE Geomembranes in Geotechnics

HDPE (High-density polyethylene) geomembranes are nowadays widely used for large-area liners and construction sealings in geotechnical engineering. Lining of water ponds, dams and dykes, landfill base liners and cover systems, remediation of contaminated sites, waterproof for tunnels, beneath highways and for various other civil engineering constructions are a few examples of application. The book covers all aspects of the HDPE geomembrane field: HDPE materials, geomembrane manufacture, textured geomembranes, properties, long-term performance and testing, installation and welding of geomembranes, quality assurance and control, leak detection, standards, recommendations and regulations. Various important topics are treated in detail. As part of it, the basic physical and chemical facts necessary to fully understand HDPE geomembrane properties and performance are carefully developed and explained. The book may therefore serve as a true handbook for manufacturers, designers, testing and inspection engineers and consultants and representatives of responsible administrations giving all relevant facts for appropriate design, manufacture and installation, testing and assessment of performance. Parts of it may also be used as textbook for lectures or seminars on geosynthetics and geotechnical or geoenvironmental engineering with geosynthetics in faculties of materials science and civil engineering.

Dr. Werner Mueller studied physics at the Free University in Berlin and wrote his doctor thesis in the field of nuclear solid state physics at the Hahn-Meitner-Institute. At the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) he worked first about non-destructive testing of plastics and became in the early 90s head of the working group Plastics in Environmental and Geotechnical Engineering, in which Geosynthetics is one of the main fields of scientific and administrative activity. He is author of numerous papers and book contributions and one of the leading experts in the field of long-term behaviour of geosynthetics.