• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.5-11
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• 2007

This paper is to investigate the removal of the smear at elevated temperatures. This study utilized both small cylinder cell and large consolidometer apparatus to investigate the combination of PVD with heat and without heat. Two types of heaters are used in this study. The heater drain made of copper tube is used for all tests except large consolidometer and flexible wire heater is used for large consolidometer. Specimens demonstrated volume contraction upon heat and without heat. This contraction is dependent on temperature magnitude. When the specimen is heated, the magnitude of settlements is higher and rate of consolidation is faster. After treatment using PVD combined without heat and with heat for undisturbed specimens the $C_h$ values obtained were $3.45m^2/yr$ and $3.83m^2/yr$, respectively, from $3.2m^2/yr$ before treatment. The $K_h/K_s$ ratios were 3 for the specimen without heat and 2 for the specimen with heat. Similarly, in reconstituted specimens without heat and with heat, the $C_h$ values were $2.1m^2/yr$ and $2.5m^2/yr$ with $K_h/K_s$ ratios of 1.75 and 1.5, respectively.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.77-88
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• 2016

Chrysotile is a 1:1 sheet silicate mineral belonging to serpentine group. It has been highlighted studies because of uses, shapes and structural characteristics of the fibrous chrysotile. However, it was designated as Class 1 carcinogen, so high attentions were being placed on detoxification studies of chrysotile. The objectives of this study were to investigate changes of mineralogical characteristics of chrysotile and to suggest detoxification mechanism of chrysotile by thermal decomposition. Samples for this study were obtained from LAB Chrysotile mine in Canada. The samples were heated in air in the range of 600 to $1,300^{\circ}C$. Changes of mineralogical characteristics such as crystal structure, shape, and chemical composition of the chrysotile fibers were examined by TG-DTA, XRD, FT-IR, TEM-EDS and SEM-EDS analyses. As a result of thermal decomposition, the fibrous chrysotile having hollow tube structure was dehydroxylated at $600-650^{\circ}C$ and transformed to disordered chrysotile by removal of OH at the octahedral sheet (MgOH) (Dehydroxylation 1). Upon increasing temperature, it was transformed to forsterite ($Mg_2SiO_4$) at $820^{\circ}C$ by rearrangement of Mg, Si and O (Dehydroxylation 2). In addition, crystal structure of forsterite had begun to transform at $800^{\circ}C$, and gradually grown 3-dimensionally to enstatite ($MgSiO_3$) by recrystallization after the heating above $1,100^{\circ}C$. And then finally transformed to spherical minerals. This study showed chrysotile structure was collapsed about $600-700^{\circ}C$ by dehydroxylation. And then the fibrous chrysotile was transformed to forsterite and enstatite, as non-hazardous minerals. Therefore, this study indicates heat treatment can be used to detoxification of chrysotile.