Design of geosynthetic-reinforced veneer slopes

This paper provides a framework for the design of steep reinforced veneer slopes such as soil covers in landfill facilities. Instead of using geosynthetic reinforcements along the veneer slope, an approach that becomes unsuitable for high slopes, the proposed framework analyzes the use of horizontally placed inclusions within the veneer slope. Analytical expressions are derived, which are useful for preliminary parametric evaluations and final design. A reinforced veneer was designed using the approach proposed herein for the cover of steep slopes at the Operating Industries, Inc. (OII) Landfill. Design criteria include requirements that the final cover should control percolation, resist erosion, and it should remain stable for both static and seismic conditions. The cover selected and constructed includes a 1.8-m thick layer of selected soil that, in order to satisfy stability criteria, was reinforced using horizontally placed geogrids. The geogrid reinforcements were embedded into the underlying solid waste mass in order to provide adequate pullout resistance. Construction of the reinforced veneer at this site was completed recently, and involved stripping the in place cover soil, screening the soil for reuse, and placing an engineered evapotranspirative cover reinforced with geogrid layers.