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

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.55-63
• /
• 2008

A swelling clay should remain physically and chemically stable for a long time to perform its functions as a buffer material of a high-level waste (HLW) repository. The longevity issues in the swelling clay were reviewed to evaluate their importance in the performance of a repository. The review results suggest that an elevated temperature due to decay heat, groundwater chemistry, high pH environment by concrete, organic matter and microbes, radiation, and mechanical disturbance might significantly affect the long-term performance of a swelling clay as a buffer material. This paper will be used as basic informations to design the swelling clay buffer for a HLW repository.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.5 no.6
• /
• pp.565-574
• /
• 2013

Extensive study was carried out on Clay expansive soil. This soil was silty clay and can be classified as CH. The degree of expansion was found to range from low to medium depending on the free swell and swell pressure tests. The research investigated the effect of using cement dust on swelling potential, Atterberg Limit, linear shrinkage, and mineralogical composition of expansive soil. The results showed that the swelling potential, plasticity index, linear shrinkage, and clay minerals decrease with increasing cement dust percentage. The cement dust accumulates in huge amounts as a side product in cement factories, and the disposal of this fine dust is very difficult and poses an environmental threat.

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

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.143-157
• /
• 2021

Expansive soil is the most predominant geologic hazard which shows a large amount of shrinkage and swelling with changes in their moisture content. This study investigates the macro-mechanical and micro-structural behaviours of dredged natural expansive clay from coal mining treated with ordinary Portland cement or hydrated lime addition. The stabilised expansive soil aims for possible reuse as pavement materials. Mechanical testing determined geotechnical engineering properties, including free swelling potential, California bearing ratio, unconfined compressive strength, resilient modulus, and shear wave velocity. The microstructures of treated soils are observed by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy to understand the behaviour of the expansive clay blended with cement and lime. Test results confirmed that cement and lime are effective agents for improving the swelling behaviour and other engineering properties of natural expansive clay. In general, chemical treatments reduce the swelling and increase the strength and modulus of expansive clay, subjected to chemical content and curing time. Scanning electron microscopy analysis can observe the increase in formation of particle clusters with curing period, and x-ray diffraction patterns display hydration and pozzolanic products from chemical particles. The correlations of mechanical properties and microstructures for chemical stabilised expansive clay are recommended.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2006.03a
• /
• pp.1204-1209
• /
• 2006

Grouting operate to reinforce expanded clay ground. Cement grouting is one of the most frequently used techniques for underground construction. This work is going to use to add an electrolytic ion to boring water for expanded reduction. To construct underground structures on expanded clay ground is operated pre-grouting that it is the barrier wall previous excavation to prevent an accident. Grouting for early compressive strength development is made a type of suspension. That grouting aims to prevent the swelling magnification in length of time. From now on, grouting is became a type of higher strength suspension to develop early compressive strength.

• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.166-171
• /
• 2010

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAAm) containing polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) block and nano clay was obtained by the polymerization of NIPAAm and [3-(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethyl ammonium montmorillonite(MAPTAC-MMT) with PDMS-macroinitiator. The polymer was characterized with FT-IR, XRD and DSC. The addition of PDMS in the polymers did not affect the value of the lower critical solution temperature(LCST) and the glass transition temperature($T_g$) of the PNIPAAm. However, the swelling ratio decreased with increasing PDMS contents. In the case of PNIPAAm containing nano clay, the content of MAPTAC-MMT did not affect swellability, but the $T_g$ of the PNIPAAm decreased with increasing nano clay contents.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.6 no.5
• /
• pp.437-453
• /
• 2014

This paper studies the swelling and strength characteristics of unimproved and improved expansive soils in terms of the swell potential, swelling pressure, rate of secondary swelling, unconfined compressive strength and California bearing ratio (CBR). The admixtures used in this study are locally available cement and fly ash. The soils used in this study were taken from the Mae Moh power plant, Lampang Province, in northern Thailand. A conventional consolidation test apparatus was used to determine the swelling of the soil specimen. The optimum admixture contents are determined to efficiently reduce the swelling of unimproved soil. The rate of secondary swelling for unimproved soil is within the range of highly plastic montmorillonite clay, whereas the specimens improved with optimum admixture contents can be classified as non-swelling kaolinite. A soil type affects the swelling pressure. Expansive soil improvement with fly ash alone can reduce swelling percentage but cannot enhance the unconfined compressive strength and CBR. The strength and swelling characteristics can be predicted well by the swelling percentage in this study.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.305-314
• /
• 2002

The dehydration of hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA)-exchanged montmorillonite has been studied using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The dehydration in HDTMA-montmorillonite seems to influence the swelling behavior of the organo-clay during heating. The basal d(001) spacing vs temperature curve of the HDTMA-montmorillonite has one broad swelling edge with a shoulder on the low-temperature side. We believe that the shoulder at $100^{\circ}C$ for the HDTMA-montmorillonite is due to interlayer swelling induced by the initial rearrangement of surfactants, and the second edge at $200^{\circ}C$ is caused by interlayer swelling resulting from the secondary vertical reorientation of alkyl chains. It seems that the dehydration of organo-clay induces a reorientation of the alkyl chains by transition to more vertical position relative to the silicate sheets, allowing instantly greater d-spacing.

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