Coupled hydro-mechanical behaviour of a Kaolin Clay in the context of the geothermal use of geotechnical structures

Abstract

An experimental study regarding the hydro-mechanical behaviour of a Malaysian Kaolin is presented. Strain rate-controlled oedometer tests have been conducted on compacted samples. The influence of initial water content on the pore-size distribution (PSD) of compacted samples was investigated by Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) tests. The drying path of the soil-water characteristic curve was experimentally determined for initially compacted samples and slurry samples. The preconsolidation stress was found to increase with increase in initial dry density and with decrease in initial water content. The compression curves merge into a single line, as soon as they have reached full saturation during loading. Samples at the dry side of Proctor water content showed a bi-modal PSD, whereas a mono-modal PSD was found for Proctor water content and at the wet side. The different initial compaction states of the samples were getting reflected in the drying SWCC until a suction of about 2 MPa, beyond which the drying paths were found to be identical.