Average bonding peel strength of geosynthetic clay liners after short-term exposure to water and jet fuel A-1

The average peak and bonding peel strengths of needle-punched thermally bonded geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) exposed to Jet Fuel A-1 are presented. Peel testing was performed on dry and saturated GCLs and the effect of stress during exposure was examined. GCLs exposed to Jet Fuel A-1 under zero stress for up to 14 days showed no statistically significant decrease in average bonding peel strength. GCLs hydrated with water and exposed to Jet Fuel A-1 at 14 kPa showed similar results with no statistically significant decrease in average bonding peel strength for up to 7 days. There was no statistically significant decrease in average bonding peel strength for thermally- and non-thermally-treated needle-punched GCLs hydrated with 14 kPa applied stress for up to 15 days. Variability in peel strength was observed depending on sample location. The average bonding peel strength of samples obtained near the edge of the roll were 45% lower than samples obtained away from the edge.