Experimental assessment of swelling potential in montmorillonite soils

Abstract

The study of the physicochemical activity of clays is essential to understand the mechanical-hydraulic behavior. The experimental analysis of the expansivity of soils is linked to the content of clay minerals present in the tactoid tissue, which affect is directly in proportion to the volumetric change that soil may undergo. This work aims to carry out an analysis to understand the expansive behavior of the proposed clay materials, using different techniques, both conventional and modern. For this purpose, the bentonite clay used with a majority montmorillonite component was analyzed through petrographic tests and images analysis. The samples with a base material and different contents of montmorillonite were prepared. Montmorillonite is a clay mineral with a very high swelling potential because even when it was used in low proportions on a sandy base material, the influence of the material is strong and the expansivity remained high.