Abstract
Development and evolution of desiccation cracks in bentonite-sand mixtures are strongly dependent on the physico-chemical boundary conditions. To investigate effects of solution chemistry and mixture bentonite content on cracking behavior, we conducted well-controlled dehydration experiments and applied X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) in conjunction with Mathematical Morphology to visualize and quantify geometrical features of evolving crack networks. Sampleswith varying bentonite content were saturated with 0.05 and 0.5 molar NaCl solutions, dehydrated under constant temperature, and scanned with X-ray CT at constant time intervals. Obtained 3-D images were analyzed based on Mathematical Morphology to quantify crack porosity, specific surface area, and aperture distributions of crack networks.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Advances in X-ray Tomography for Geomaterials |
| Publisher | Wiley-ISTE |
| Pages | 207-212 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1905209606, 9781905209606 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 22 2010 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Bentonite
- Clay liners
- Desiccation cracks
- Mathematical morphology
- X-ray computed tomography
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Materials Science