Total Earth Pressure Cells for Measuring Loads in a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill

Commercially available hydraulic total overburden pressure cells were installed in the sand drainage layer of a municipal solid waste landfill and monitored for a period of 3,110 days. Both overburden pressure and temperature were measured in the landfill as it was filled with compacted waste. Topographic surveys of the landfill were periodically conducted to measure the height of waste above the pressure cells and to determine the landfill volume for indirect unit weight estimation. The average ratio of measured to theoretically-predicted overburden pressure was 0.6, indicating that on average the pressure cells underestimated the load. The overburden pressure measured near the toe of the landfill was greater than that predicted by the unit weight of landfilled material, while most of the overburden pressure measurements further inside the landfill were less than predicted. Several possible causes for this phenomenon are discussed, including the uneven distribution of forces resulting from the heterogeneous nature of the waste and cover soil. The earth pressure cells were capable of detecting the placement of individual waste lifts.