Geomembranes made from high density polyethylene (HDPE) have a high percent crystallinity and are therefore of concern with regard to stress cracking. A review of the literature plus the authors' field exhuming of various sites-of-opportunity gave rise to twenty-five (25) situations where stress cracking of HDPE geomembranes has occurred since the introduction of the liner material in 1980. The stress cracks varied from very small lengths of a few centimeters to large shattering types of failure. All failures have occurred on exposed geomembranes where ultraviolet light exposure, high temperature oxidation and low temperature contraction are continuously ongoing processes.

Distributed to depository libraries in microfiche. Shipping list no.: 94-0483-M.