Electrical resistance method for assessing spatial variation of water content in geosynthetics clay liners at laboratory scale

Non-uniform moisture distribution throughout pre-hydrated geosynthetics clay liner (GCL) laboratory testing specimens could significantly affect their liquid/gas permeability test results. For a reliable comparison between different pre-hydrated GCL specimens, uniform moisture distribution condition should be ensured before testing their permeabilities. This study presents a simple non-destructive electrical probing approach to assess the moisture homogeneity of GCL specimens before their use in laboratory tests. An experimental program was conducted to check the feasibility and the validity of the proposed method on GCLs hydrated at different moisture contents. The outcomes of the experimental program prove the adequacy of the proposed method.