Feedback from the bituminous geomembrane (BGM) implemented 20 years ago at the Galaube dam

The Galaube dam is a 40 m high French rockfill dam commissioned in 2001. The upstream facing is ensured by a 4.6 mm thick bituminous geomembrane (BGM) directly laid on a cold mix layer and an impregnated layer gavel. During construction, control measurements were first carried out in the factory. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGeosynthetics: Leading the Way to a Resilient Planet pp. 789 - 799
Main Authors Pepin, N., Deroo, L., Breul, B., Gasc, B.
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published CRC Press 2024
Edition1
Online AccessGet full text
DOI10.1201/9781003386889-91

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Summary:The Galaube dam is a 40 m high French rockfill dam commissioned in 2001. The upstream facing is ensured by a 4.6 mm thick bituminous geomembrane (BGM) directly laid on a cold mix layer and an impregnated layer gavel. During construction, control measurements were first carried out in the factory. The BGM was then installed by vertical strips, in one piece, from top to bottom. Welds were subject to a strict quality control plan and all defect immediately rectified. After 20 years of operation, the hydraulic behavior of the dam shows that piezometry is low and leakage through the membrane is deemed to be negligible. The dam has settled very few in practice and has already undergone its first filling and a complete emptying in 2007. No defects have been identified and almost no maintenance operations carried out. The design and construction of the upstream facing has been very successful.
DOI:10.1201/9781003386889-91