Performance of draining geosynthetics for applications in landfill construction

The capping structures of landfills are built as a sequence of layers of different materials, each with a specific function. One of these layers is mainly intended as a drain, which should keep the rainfall from reaching the waste mass below. Up to date, this draining layer usually consists of gravel, but since environmental and economical optimization have become important issues, draining geocomposites are becoming the most common alternative. This work focuses on a specific type of geodrains, which features special draining tubes: a first series of data testing their performance and comparing it to results achieved in the same conditions with gravel are presented.