Ground Penetrating Radar and Electrical Resistivity Methods to
Characterize Soil-Bentonite Slurry Cutoff Wall and Detect Defects
Abstract
Soil-bentonite slurry cutoff walls are used to prevent the movement of
contaminated groundwater. Defects which reduce the overall efficacy of
the wall may become present during construction or the aging of the
wall. In this research, we use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and
electrical resistivity (ER) as non-invasive and minimally invasive
geophysical techniques, respectively, in an attempt to characterize the
shallow portions of a soil bentonite slurry cutoff wall and detect
defects within the wall. Sandbags and a limestone block were placed
within the northernmost section of an experimental soil-bentonite slurry
cutoff wall in Montandon, PA to represent defects that could lead to
high hydraulic conductivity within the wall. GPR surveys were collected
along the wall and surrounding area to investigate the unsaturated zone
and determine if GPR could reliably observe the elevation difference of
the water table across the wall. GPR estimates of the soil water content
(SWC) differences were also evaluated as a possible way to determine the
location of more permeable zones (e.g., fractures) within the
unsaturated zone of the cutoff wall. The apparent resistivity of both
defect and non-defect locations in the wall were collected using long
point-source electrodes in Wenner and dipole-dipole arrays at various
depths, as well as non-traditional geometries. The point electrodes
inserted into the wall at a 1 meter a-spacing indicate a higher apparent
resistivity associated at defect locations relative to at the non-defect
locations. Additionally, the mise-a-la-masse method with in-wall
electrodes and surface electrodes was used to measure the change in
voltage along the wall and the surrounding areas in both defect and
non-defect locations. We will discuss how data from the individual or
concurrent use of these two methods may help locate potential defects
within soil-bentonite slurry cutoff walls. The ability to reliably
detect defects within slurry walls using non-invasive or minimally
invasive techniques will help retain the integrity of the wall, allow
for quality assurance for construction companies, and monitor walls
throughout their life at a low cost.