Stability analysis of the refuse dam in Xiaping MSW Landfill, China

Abstract

Landfilling remains one of the main municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal methods worldwide. And the refuse dam is one of the most important facilities to ensure the safety of landfill. Therefore, it is of great significance to evaluate the safety of the refuse dam. This study aims to analyze the stability of the refuse dam using the finite element method based on PLAXIS3D. The landfill is replaced by the equivalent load applied, which is calculated by three methods including static earth pressure at rest, PLAXIS2D simulation and retaining wall with gentle back surface methods. And the calculation results of above-mentioned methods are compared and the reasons for the different results are explained. The results showed that the calculation of factor of safety by static earth pressure at rest method is the most reliable. And the alarm water level corresponding to the safety coefficient 1.35 is –4.85 m.