Experimental study on the accelerated aging of PVC-P geomembrane under controlled indoor water ambient temperature

The plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC-P) geomembrane as the primary impermeable material is applied in membrane faced rockfill dams and pumped storage power stations. Whether its service life under hydrolysis meets the durability during the operation period, we conducted the accelerated aging test under hydrolysis and axial tensile mechanical properties test to investigate the attenuation of breaking strain using three PVC-P geomembranes. The hydrolysis aging model was constructed by Arrhenius formula, and the service life of geomembrane was analyzed and predicted. The accuracy of the model was verified using test data collected over 180 days at a temperature of 20℃. The research shows that the life cycle of PVC-P geomembrane is related to the temperature of reservoir water, the content of plasticizer and the thickness of membrane material. At 20 °C, the service cycle of material A is 49.05 years, material B and material C are 153.76 years and 181.30 years respectively.