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Glass Diaphragm Walls
The Need
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The high cost of digging and hauling
contaminated soil has made its enclosure an alternative to prevent contamination of ground
water and adjacent sites. The materials currently applied to confine contaminated soils
are not the best solution (ex. slurry walls). A new contaminant confining material is
presented where the costs of digging and hauling the contaminated soil are eliminated. |
The Technology
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For contaminant enclosure, the new technology
incorporates a diaphragm wall system consisting of special glass panels with a sealing
made out of glass. The panels are 50 cm. wide and up to 15 m. long. Because of its
specific features, glass is currently offering the highest grade of security to enclose
hazardous deposits, due to the following reasons:
- Glass is to a high degree
corrosion-resistant and impermeable.
- Glass is resistant to chemical attacks of
potential seepage water.
- Glass can be manufactured variably as far as
shape, quality and elasticity are concerned.
- Glass can be equipped with wires. As glass
is a perfect isolator, the wires allow permanent control of the sealing via electrical
measurements.
- Low maintenance costs are encountered with
glass.
The arrangement of the glass panels is done in the same way
as for common diaphragm walls. First, trenches are excavated continuously or
intermittently and filled up with a suspension of cement and bentonite. Then, the glass
panels are transported horizontally to the site, where they are carefully lifted by an
excavator, transported to the trench and lowered into the suspension. Two days later the
joints are sealed. The joints can be sealed with special profiles made out of plastic.
Another alternative to this is filling up the hollow space with special sealing material
(silicate gel). |
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The Benefits
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The benefits of this technology lie in cost
reductions due to the elimination of soil digging and hauling, and the low maintenance
cost of the glass system. |
Status
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This technology is currently being implemented
in Germany. |
Barriers
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One barrier lies in the need for specialized
labor. Another disadvantage is in the plastic profiles that have not yet proved their
practicality for the sealing. However, they still can be used as guidings during the
lowering of the panels. |
Points of Contact
- Mr. Uwe Walter, Flachglas Consult GmbH - Nieskyer Straße
12, D-02923 Uhsmannsdorf, Germany. Phone: (+49) 3 58 92-8265, Fax: (+49) 3 58 92-8320
- Philipp Holzmann AG - P.O.Box 110933, 60299 Frankfurt,
Germany. Phone: 49-692621, Fax: 49-69262433
References
Westhaus and Holzmann: 'Innovative Technologies in
Specialized Ground Engineering', Technological Innovation in Construction, Final
Proceedings, The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 1991.
Disclaimer Statement
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Neither the Construction
Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this
technology or represents
that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation. |
BBA05/LHM
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