BPM was one of several suppliers bidding to supply 1.0mm impermeable membrane liner for US customers. The project is a prototype for in-situ lining of canals, relocation of canals across the United States, and the first of its kind in California. After the bidding process is completed, the client company decides to award the contract to the BPM company. In the autumn of 2015, Mr. Joe, the design engineer of BPM, contacted the client company to provide the PVC geomembrane liner. During the ensuing months, a great deal of research and development was carried out to address the issues of handling HDPE linings during the in-situ lining process. Because the project is on an expedited schedule, the actual fabrication of most of the equipment is underway, while other development work is being done on the handling of the lining material.
Waterproof Pond Liner HDPE Geomembrane was selected as the membrane lining material for the underwater application of this canal project. The agency selected geomembrane liner based on a number of factors, including:
(1)Availability of large panels. The HDPE is made into panels of 4m x 60m.
HDPE geomembranes are highly flexible and maintain their properties over a wide temperature range. This makes the liner more adaptable to the environment of the canal bed than other available geomembrane materials.
(2)HDPE geomembranes are easily spliced on-site with special adhesives. PVC geomembranes also have very good puncture, abrasion and tear resistance, which is important to minimize damage during installation.
(3)The history of the use of impermeable membrane liner in canal linings has been proven in many projects for over 205 years.
As the canal lining was to be done in two stages, requiring a longitudinal seam in the impermeable membrane liner down the center of the canal, it was necessary to use a geomembrane that could seal underwater. Since an unbonded longitudinal seam would not provide the necessary leakage control, laboratory studies concluded that a vinyl swimming pool adhesive used to repair pool liners would be an appropriate adhesive for the seam. Laboratory test results for joint strength of underwater joints proved to be comparable to normally manufactured field joints, even though these were constructed underwater.
