Comparison of Geomembranes

Geomembranes are flexible, watertight materials used in civil engineering structures such as reservoirs, dams, canals, waste storage facilities, mine tailings repositories and many other types of structure. Today, it is impossible to envisage the construction of a civil engineering waterproofing system without at least considering the possibility of using a geomembrane. That's why it's so important to be familiar with geomembranes. This article on the comparison of geomembranes is designed to help engineers communicate with geomembrane suppliers, testing laboratories and experts.

This article presents a comparison of the main geomembranes currently in use: thermoplastic geomembranes (PVC, high-density polyethylene, linear low-density polyethylene and polypropylene), elastomeric geomembranes (EPDM and CSPE) and bituminous geomembranes. The comparison covers the following points:

• composition ;

• dimensions ;

• assembly ;

• physical properties ;

• mechanical properties ;

• chemical resistance ;

• durability ;

• use.

The comparisons are presented simply so that the reader can benefit from them without requiring advanced knowledge of material behavior. A few comparisons are presented in tabular form, but the bulk of the comparisons are presented in narrative form, which is easier to understand than deciphering endless tables of numerical values.

The comparisons are presented very briefly. For more details, please refer to the four preceding articles:

• introduction to geomembranes [C 5 430] ;

• composition and production of geomembranes [C 5 435] ;

• thermoplastic polymeric geomembranes