• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.615-626
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• 2021

The main objective of this study is to present a fast and reliable approach to predict the swelling potential of clay-bearing rocks. Investigations showed that there is a good correlation between the swelling potential of a rock and its desire to absorb water due to its clay content which could be measured using the "Contact Angle" test as one of the most common ways to determine the wettability. In this test, the angle between a water drop and the flat rock surface on which it rests is measured. The present method is very fast and returns repeatable results and requires minimal sample preparation. Only having a saw-cut surface of a sample with any shape is all one needs to perform this test. The logic behind this approach is that the swelling potential of a rock is a function of its mineral content and molecular structure, which are not only distributed in the bulk of the sample but also reflected on its surface. Therefore, to evaluate swelling behavior, it is not necessary to wait for a sample to get wet all the way to its "internal structure" (which, due to the low permeability of clay-bearing rocks, is very slow and time-consuming). Instead, one can have a good sense of swelling potential by studying its surface. Parametric studies on the effect of moisture content, porosity, and surface roughness on the contact angle measurements showed that using a saw-cut oven-dried sample is a convenient way to evaluate the swelling potential by this method.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1135-1141
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• 2018

Volume changes of soils induced by inorganic acids cause severe foundation and superstructure failures in industrial buildings. This study aimed to assess the potential of fly ash to control volume changes in soils under acidic environment. Two soils such as black cotton soil predominant with montmorillonite and kaolin clay predominant with kaolinite were used for the present investigation. Both soils exhibited an increase in swelling subjected to phosphoric acid contamination. Ion exchange reactions and mineralogical transformations lead to an increase in swelling and a decrease in compressibility in black cotton soil, whereas phosphate adsorption and mineral dissolution lead to an increase in swelling and compressibility in case of kaolin clay. Different percentages of Class F fly ash obtained from Ramagundam national thermal power station were used for soil treatment. Fly ash treatment leads to significant reduction in swelling and compressibility, which is attributed to the formation of aluminum phosphate cements in the presence of phosphoric acid.

• The Journal of Engineering Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2004

In this research montmorillonite intercalations complexes as organophilic clay compounds which have very different properties as the starting clay mineral were synthesized by the substitution of metal ions which exist in the montmorillonite layers with the organic cations which have long alkyl chain by the cation exchange reaction. Thereafter the obtained products dried in high vacuum were treated with the various swelling liquids such as dist. water, methanol, acetone, ether and acetonitrile in order to know the swelling behaviour of the synthesized complexes. Especially for this research Korean and Turkish clays were selected to compare the intercalations complexes of both clays and their swelling behaviour.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2016.10a
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• pp.64-65
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• 2016

This study that prevent cancer using absorbent to inflow Radon gas in the room existing soil and rock is making board to absorb the Radon gas as a fundamental study. So, we use bentonite as a absorbent. So, we use bentonite as a absorbent. Bentonite is a 'clay mineral' composed to montmorillonite of main component that volcanic ash denatured to a clay mineral. Bentonite has fine microparticle of nano level, abundant mineral 66 of kinds, adsorbability, swelling, a positive ion(heavy metal adsorption reaction) as a bentonite's property. Using magnesia cement for oxide of magnesiuma and magnesium chloride as a main binder, we measure Radon gas absorbent efficiency and thermal conductivity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.848-857
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• 2008

In September 2007, the collapses of slopes and landslides are happened at Jeonlanamdo due to heavy rains accompanied with Typoon "Nari". The study area is the tunnel portal slope in new road construction site. This slope consists of pyroclastic rocks and has lots of faults. Particularly, the residual soils of the slope is deteriorated with yellowish mudstone layer as a results of chemical and physical weathering. This has a variety of swelling clay minerals and might be moved easily down at the gentle terrain. The inner factor of $\bigcirc\bigcirc$tunnel portal slope's collapse is the geological weak zone, the convergent topography, the inferiority of drainage and the heavy rain act on the failure as direct trigger.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.339-350
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• 2007

Content, swelling, concentration, drainage of clay are critical factors that could control rock failures as well as discontinuous geological structures like faults and joints. Especially, the proportional components of clay minerals can be one of few direct indicators to a rock failure caused well by rainfall. Criticality of the role of clay mineral contents gets bigger in the slope and tunnel design. This study, using a horizontal boring core of pelitic/psammitic phyllite from the OO tunnel construction site, aims to investigate mineral composition changes related to fault distribution and their mechanical effects to the activity of these discontinuous layers (i.e., clay-filled fault layers), and eventually to define correlation among rock compositions, weathering products and rock instabilities. Field survey and lab tests were carried out for the composition and strength index of fault clay minerals within the core samples and microscopic analysis of fresh and weathered rock samples.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 2016

This study deals with the distribution of the clay minerals separated from clay fractions of ranch pastures in Korea and their chemical and mineralogical properties. Crystalline phases of the clay minerals were identified by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and FT-IR spectra, and their relative chemical compositions were also analyzed by X-ray flourescence spectrometry (XRF). Primary minerals consisted mainly of quartz and mica and chlorite and kaolinite along with a trace of swelling micas were identified as secondary clay minerals. However, the relative content of these clay minerals was different with the locations, which led to significant effects on physical and chemical properties of soils like inorganic elemental composition. In particular, $SiO_2$ content was higher in Gochang ranch pasture than in other ranch pasture. Infrared (IR) spectra did not indicate any significant differences in organic functional groups among the locations. This study clearly showed that ranch pastures had different relative content of clay minerals and chemical properties depending on the location and consequently that those properties are worthy to be taken into account for soil amendment.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.411-421
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze the key factors that contribute to landslide causes through swelling clay minerals and terrain analysis in landslide sites taken place of in Yongin city, Gyeonggi-do, 2011. The study was conducted based on field survey by XRD (X-ray Diffraction), XRF (X-ray fluorescence), spectroscopic analysis on soil samples obtained from landslide sites and ASTER satellite image. Illite shows absorption features; $Fe^{2+}$ and $Fe^{3+}$ at 0.9 and $1.0{\mu}m$, broad water absorption features near 1.4 and $1.9{\mu}m$, and additional Al-hydroxyl features at 2.2, 2.3 and $2.4{\mu}m$, respectively. These absorption features are consistent with the bands 5, 6, and 7 of ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) satellite image. Illite image was extracted using band math of $SWIR_{Illite}$. From these results, we confirmed the applicability of ASTER satellite image using identification of swelling clay minerals to landslide study.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.287-294
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• 2009

To be design the slope, the area distributed the mica schist which was metamorphosed by shale or mudstone must carefully consider the stability. Mica schist is another unstable rock for slope by schistosity, cleavage, axial plane of a fold etc. In general mica schist contains the swelling clay minerals such as smectite, vermiculite and montmorillonite. These minerals make the slope unstable. At OO tunnel construction area for the rail way of the Kyungbu high speed train, the slope of mica schist is very unstable by the distribution phenomena of the discontinuous plane such as joints which are 1-5 cm spacing and thrust and strike-slip fault. By the drilling core of this area, most RQD have 0-20%.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 1979

A literature review is made on the physical and chemical characteristics of clay minerals in acidic solutions from the mineralogical and hydrometallurgical viewpoints. Some of the important characteristics of clays are their ability to cation exchange, swelling, and incongruent dissolution in acidic solutions. Various clay minerals can take up metallic ions from solution via cation exchange mechanism. Generally, cation exchange capacity increases in the following order : kaolinite, halloysite, illite, vermiculite, and montmorillonite. In acidic solutions, the cation uptake such as copper by clay minerals is strongly inhibited by hydrogen and aluminum ions and thus is not economically significant factor for recovery of metals such as uranium and copper. In acidic solutions, the cation uptake is substial. Swelling is minimal at lower pH, possibly due to lattice collapse. Swelling may be controllable with montmorillonite type clays by exchanging interlayer sodium with lithium and/or hydroxylated aluminum species. The effect of add on clay minerals are : 1. Division of aggregates into smaller plates with increase in surface area and porosity. 2. Clay-acid reactions occur in the following order: (i) $H^+$ replacement of interlayer cations, (ii) removal of octahedral cations, such as Al, Fe, and Mg, and (iii) removal of tetrahedral Al ions. Acid attack initiates, around the edges of the clay particles and continued inward, leaving hydrated silica gel residue around the edges. 3. Reaction rates of (ii) and (iii) are pseudo-1st order and proportional to acid concentration. Rate doubles for every temperature increment of $10^{\circ}C$. Implications in in-situ leaching of copper or uranium with acid are : 1. Over the life span of the operation for a year or more, clays attacked by acid will leave silica gel. If such gel covers the surface of valuable mineral surfaces being leached, recovery could be substantially delayed. 2. For a copper deposit containing 0.5% each of clay minerals and recoverable copper, the added cost due to clay-acid reaction is about 1.5c/lb of copper (or 0.93 lbs of $H_2SO_4/1b$ of copper). This acid consumption by clay may be a factor for economic evaluation of in-situ leaching of an oxide copper deposit.