Determining the Macrostructural Stability of Compacted Wyoming Bentonites by a Disaggregation Method
Source abstract
Abstract
The use of compacted bentonites in radioactive waste repository barriers is a relevant application of geoenvironmental engineering. The on-site structural characteristics of the bentonites determine the performance and integrity of the barrier. The present work addresses the adaptation of the standardized sand equivalent shaking method for the controlled disaggregation of Wyoming bentonite specimens prepared at low, medium, and high compaction. The evolution of the macrostructural units’ size distribution was determined by sieving at different shaking times. The stability of the compacted material increases with dry density. However, if enough energy is applied in the disaggregation process, the size distribution of the macrostructural units after disaggregation has the same characteristics as that of the uncompacted starting material, regardless of the applied degree of compaction. Since the disaggregation rate is a function of the aggregation level (compaction), it follows that compaction energy is not only spent on reducing porosity but also on generating more stable macrostructural units. These findings pave the way for future research with different materials and test conditions (compaction, moisture, etc.). In addition, the proposed shaking method is adaptable and could also be used in other sectors, such as agriculture, to determine the structural stability of natural soils.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Soil and Unsaturated Flow · Landfill Environmental Impact Studies · Grouting, Rheology, and Soil Mechanics
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Department of Geology and Geochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Autonomous University of Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Geoenvironmental Group, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avda. Camilo José Cela 2, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain
Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Avenida Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, Spain
Collegium Basilea (Institute of Advanced Study), Hochstrasse, 51, 4053 Basel, Switzerland
Funding
Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha
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