Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-11-14DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02450-5
H. C. Nguyen, X. Zhang, M. Nazem
{"title":"A mixed smoothed finite element limit analysis formulation for static and seismic collapse loads","authors":"H. C. Nguyen, X. Zhang, M. Nazem","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02450-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02450-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper introduces a new formulation of limit analysis based on nodal integrations for calculating static and seismic collapse loads in geotechnical engineering. Unlike the classical kinematic limit analysis, our newly proposed formulation of upper-bound limit analysis using mixed elements is expressed in terms of the stress fields rather than displacement fields. The numerical framework approximates stress and velocity fields using low-order triangular elements with a strain smoothing technique. Subsequently, the weak form of the equilibrium conditions and flow rule are imposed over nodal smoothing cells rather than elements. The final form of stress mixed formulation is established on nodal smoothing cells and is cast as a set of conic constraints, allowing the stress fields to be directly determined using conic programming algorithms. Additionally, the determination of kinematically admissible displacement fields is achieved through duality theory. We demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of our numerical scheme through benchmark examples involving static and seismic collapse loads, such as bearing capacity and tunnel stability, showcasing its practical application. Although the proposed scheme outperforms other traditional numerical schemes and smoothed limit analysis in terms of accuracy and efficiency, the gain in performance is offset by a loss of rigour. Furthermore, we incorporate a simple non-associated plasticity scheme into the analyses to assess dilation-dependent collapse loads. The newly proposed numerical scheme of the stress-based upper-bound limit analysis is then utilised to assess the influence of the dilation on the static and seismic collapse loads and their failure mechanism, giving some valuable insights into the dilation-dependent collapse loads under seismic conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 1","pages":"323 - 345"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142963100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-11-14DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02453-2
Zhiyang Niu, Yinghao Sun, Dengming Wang
{"title":"Front dynamics and surface morphology of wet granular flows down an inclined channel","authors":"Zhiyang Niu, Yinghao Sun, Dengming Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02453-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02453-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The flow of wet granular materials released down an inclined channel is investigated experimentally. The observed flow reveals three typical flow regimes corresponding to varying inclination angles, aligning with the dynamics observed in the dry particle case. The presence of interstitial liquid significantly increases the critical angles required for transitions between these regimes. Each regime exhibits distinctive evolving features in front shapes and surface morphologies, primarily depending on grain-scale cohesion induced by capillary forces between particles, which are directly related to particle size. Consequently, a phase diagram encapsulating diverse characteristics of wet granular flows is constructed in the phase space of two relevant parameters, emphasizing the front shape and surface morphology of wet granular flow while concurrently considering the associated flow regime. The generation mechanisms are also discussed based on the effect of cohesion on the motion of particles. Finally, simplified theoretical models, grounded in the law of conservation of momentum and Savage–Hutter theory, are developed to depict the evolving characteristics of the front in different regimes of inclined wet granular flows.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 1","pages":"55 - 68"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142963099","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-11-06DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02445-2
Zhongtian Chen, Adam Bezuijen, Yong Fang, Markus Thewes, Dongzhu Zheng
{"title":"The study of foaming agent concentration choice in EPB shield soil conditioning","authors":"Zhongtian Chen, Adam Bezuijen, Yong Fang, Markus Thewes, Dongzhu Zheng","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02445-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02445-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Foam is widely used in soil conditioning during EPB shield tunnelling to ensure the efficiency and safety of face support and muck flow. Currently, the concentration of the foaming agent solution is chosen based on the recommendations of foaming agent suppliers, the half-life time of foam or the properties of the foam-soil mixture. This paper studies the foaming agent concentration (<i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub>) choice taking surface tension into consideration. Test results show that the <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> should be higher than the critical micelle concentration (CMC) to offset the influence of the expanding surface area during foam generation in shield tunnelling. The comparison between the capillary rise method and the platinum plate method shows that this offset can almost be accomplished when <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> is higher than 1% and fully accomplished when <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> is higher than 3%. Foam generation tests show that despite the differences in foam generation methods, the foaming ability of foaming agent solution and the stability of the generated foam are close to optimum at <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> of 1% and reach optimum at <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> of 3%. Slump tests show that foam with <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> lower than 1% is not stable enough in the foam-sand mixture for shield tunnelling. Both slump tests and field validation show that when <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> is higher than 3%, the increase of <i>C</i><sub><i>f</i></sub> has limited influence on soil conditioning performance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 2","pages":"915 - 930"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143361792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-11-05DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02400-1
Shao-Heng He, Zhen-Yu Yin, Zhi Ding, Yifei Sun
{"title":"The role of incremental stress ratio in mechanical behavior and particle breakage of calcareous sand","authors":"Shao-Heng He, Zhen-Yu Yin, Zhi Ding, Yifei Sun","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02400-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02400-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Calcareous sand has been used in reclamation for constructing artificial islands. It suffers different stress paths with varying constant incremental stress ratios (Δ<i>q</i>/Δ<i>p'</i>), exhibiting diverse mechanical characteristics with grain crushing. However, previous experimental studies mainly focused on conventional triaxial stress path (Δ<i>q</i>/Δ<i>p'</i> = 3). This study aims to investigate more unconventional shear stress paths, such as constant ratios of Δ<i>q</i>/Δ<i>p'</i> (<span>( = -0.5, , -1.5, , 2)</span>, where negative ratio corresponding to <i>p'</i>-decreasing, and vice versa) and constant <i>p'</i> (Δ<i>q</i>/Δ<i>p'</i> = infinite) on both anisotropically and isotropically consolidated calcareous sand. For comparison, the conventional triaxial tests under constant confining pressure (Δ<i>q</i>/Δ<i>p'</i> = 3) are also performed. For all tested samples, the grain size distribution is measured to quantify the particle breakage after loading. It is found that shear stress path plays a significant role in the mechanical of calcareous sand. Despite varying degrees of particle breakage caused by different stress paths, the relationship between the peak state friction angle with the maximum dilatancy angle and state parameter is unique. Irrespective of the consolidation/shear stress path, the peak friction angle consistently exhibits a monotonic increase with the maximum dilatancy angle, while exponentially decreases with the increasing of state parameter. Additionally, particle breakage causes a downward curvature of the critical state line (CSL) in the <i>e</i>–ln<i>p</i>' plane. However, irrespective of the stress path, the CSL remains linear when plotted in <i>e</i>–(<i>p</i>'/<i>p</i><sub>a</sub>)<sup><i>ξ</i></sup> and the <i>e</i>–ln(<i>p</i>' + <i>p</i><sub>r</sub>) plane. The findings are helpful for understanding the mechanical behavior and modeling of crushable calcareous sand under complex loads.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 1","pages":"167 - 183"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142963006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-11-04DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02413-w
J. -F. Zhu, Q. -Q. Zheng, Y. -L. Tao, L. -Y. Ju, H. Yang, X. -N. Gong, B. -J. Pan, Z. -Q. Wang
{"title":"The curing mechanism and empirical model for the marine organic soft clay stabilized with calcium carbide residue and silica fume under the optimal ratio","authors":"J. -F. Zhu, Q. -Q. Zheng, Y. -L. Tao, L. -Y. Ju, H. Yang, X. -N. Gong, B. -J. Pan, Z. -Q. Wang","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02413-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02413-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The study aimed to elucidate the curing mechanism and establish an empirical model for the stabilization of marine organic soft clay (MOSC) using a combination of calcium carbide residue (CCR) and silica fume (SF) at the optimal proportion, employing response surface methodology (RSM) in conjunction with multi-scale characterization techniques. Initial investigations involved a series of unconfined compression strength (UCS) tests conducted on CCR and SF to ascertain the most effective dosage of each material for the stabilization of MOSC. Notably, it was observed that CCR exerted a more pronounced influence on enhancing MOSC properties when compared to SF. Further refinement of the optimal CCR-SF ratio was undertaken utilizing RSM, culminating in the establishment of a novel binder, denominated as PZ-2, with a composition ratio of 56% CCR and 44% SF. Characterization through X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS) identified the primary products formed within the stabilized MOSC matrix with PZ-2 as comprising C–S–H, calcite, and dolomite. SEM analyses unveiled a substantially improved microstructure characterized by the presence of flocculent and agglomerate products in MOSC stabilized with PZ-2. Moreover, Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) results indicated reduced pore volume in cured MOSC as opposed to its raw counterpart, indicative of a stronger microstructural configuration post-stabilization. The salutary effects of PZ-2 on MOSC stabilization were attributed to mechanisms encompassing pozzolanic reactions, neutralization, carbonation, and ion exchange. Additionally, it was noted that PZ-2 offered cost and environmental advantages over conventional Portland cement (PO 32.5). To facilitate practical applications, empirical models predicting the UCS strength of cured MOSC were developed incorporating key parameters such as initial water content (<i>w</i><sub>i</sub>), organic matter content (<i>w</i><sub>o</sub>), and binder content (<i>w</i><sub>b,</sub>) with the optimal mixing ratio. These models demonstrated reliability and utility in guiding effective strategies for strengthening MOSC.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 2","pages":"683 - 706"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Role of bentonite in improving the anti-seepage durability of fly ash-based geopolymer cutoff wall backfill under dry–wet cycles","authors":"Hong-Xin Chen, Qin-Pei Xue, Jia Liu, Shi-Jin Feng, Dong-Jiang Lv, Hong-De Mu, Chun-Hui Peng","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02446-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02446-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Vertical cutoff walls have been widely employed for groundwater control and in situ containment of subsurface pollutants. The traditional cutoff wall materials are usually highly susceptible to dry–wet cycles due to precipitation, drought, and groundwater fluctuation, leading to cracking or even disintegration. This study adopted sodium bentonite (NaB) to enhance the anti-seepage durability of fly ash-based geopolymer cutoff wall backfill (GCWB) under dry–wet cycles. The influence of bentonite content on the workability, unconfined compressive strength, hydraulic conductivity and durability of GCWB was comprehensively examined. To explore the evolution mechanism of GCWB under dry–wet cycles, the microstructural characteristics were assessed by Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry and Scanning Electron Microscopy tests. Proper incorporation of bentonite can improve the water retention ability and enhance the integrity of matrix. The optimal material ratio with the lowest hydraulic conductivity was NaB-3% which can achieve 4.73 × 10<sup>–11</sup> m/s after cured for 28 days. The hydraulic conductivity of NaB-3% gradually increased to 5.00 × 10<sup>–9</sup> m/s after five cycles, which was 70.7% lower than that devoid of NaB, still meeting the commonly accepted limit (1 × 10<sup>–8</sup> m/s). Geopolymer has great advantage in reducing the hydraulic conductivity before dry–wet cycles; while, the expansion characteristics of bentonite play a dominant role in filling the pores developed during the cycles and refining the internal structure of matrix, greatly improving the durability of GCWB. This study proves that GCWB with NaB is a favorable cutoff wall material, especially in areas where dry–wet cycles may occur.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 2","pages":"931 - 944"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143361819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-11-01DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02433-6
A. S. M. Riyad, Buddhima Indraratna, Yujie Qi, Miriam Tawk
{"title":"Constitutive behaviour of a granular matrix containing coal mine waste intermixed with rubber crumbs","authors":"A. S. M. Riyad, Buddhima Indraratna, Yujie Qi, Miriam Tawk","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02433-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02433-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Traditional railway substructure materials (i.e., natural crushed rock aggregates used for ballast and capping layers) degrade under service loads, incurring higher periodic maintenance costs compared to recycled materials. Using recycled waste materials such as coal wash and rubber crumbs for infrastructure upgrades not only reduces construction and maintenance costs but also supports environmental sustainability. By exploring unconventional avenues, earlier studies have delved into the viability of blending rubber crumbs (RC) and coal wash (CW) as an innovative substitute for traditional railway substructure materials, with a specific focus on the capping layer. This study introduces a semi-empirical constitutive model to simulate the response of mixtures of coal wash and rubber crumbs (CWRC) using the bounding surface plasticity framework. The novelty of this study is that a modified volumetric strain expression is introduced to capture the compressibility of rubber, thus enabling a more accurate representation of the internal deformation of rubber within the granular matrix. The variation of rubber content in the mixture is captured by the corresponding critical state void ratio surface and the hardening modulus. The theoretical model is then calibrated and validated using static drained triaxial test data for CWRC mixtures as well as mixtures of steel furnace slag, coal wash, and rubber crumbs (SFS + CW + RC).</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 1","pages":"185 - 196"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11440-024-02433-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142962972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-10-29DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02442-5
Fan Peng, Chen Bo, De’an Sun, You Gao
{"title":"Water retention behavior and microstructural evolution of GMZ bentonite granules upon wetting and drying for deep geological disposal","authors":"Fan Peng, Chen Bo, De’an Sun, You Gao","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02442-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02442-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Compared with compacted block, the bentonite granules (BG) were increasingly considered as feasible sealing materials for deep geological disposal, due to its superior operationality and installation efficiency. However, further studies are needed to assess the hydraulic response and microstructural evolution of BG. This work focused on the water retention behavior of BG specimens prepared with different grading curves and void ratios (0.6, 0.8 and 1.0), under confined/unconfined conditions following wetting and drying paths. The specimens’ pore structure and its evolution were studied using mercury intrusion porosimetry. Results indicated that the water retention capacity was generally unique at high suctions (> about 10 MPa) due to adsorption mechanism, while it was related to pore structure at low suctions. Under confined condition, wetting caused macropore (i.e., inter-aggregate/pellet pores) compression and pore structure rearrangement, while the inter-particle pores kept almost unchanged. BG specimen with more and coarser granules initially exhibited more and bigger macropores, and its initial granular structure was progressively lost upon wetting. Meanwhile, the volume expansion was relatively limited upon wetting at high suctions, below which it gradually became obvious. Comparatively, wetting caused macropore enlargement and even cracks generation under unconfined condition. After saturation under confined condition, drying caused initially macropore contraction and the granular structure was somewhat recovered that could result in further opening of cracks. Besides, the shrinking rate gradually became slow at suction > about 30 MPa. This study is conducive to comprehension and design of engineered barrier system for deep geological disposal.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"19 12","pages":"7821 - 7833"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142754289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Characterizing the spatial variability of marine soil properties with site-specific sparse data using a Bayesian data fusion approach","authors":"Zechao Zhang, Yifan Zhang, Lulu Zhang, Zijun Cao, Yu Wang, Yongtang Yu, Jianguo Zheng","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02419-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02419-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Sparse site-specific test data complicates soil spatial variability characterization, resulting in substantial statistical uncertainty in model parameters. Rare studies explicitly address this uncertainty, a more pronounced issue in offshore wind engineering due to large and multi-source yet sparse and non-co-located data. This study proposes a Bayesian conditional co-simulation (BCCS) method for spatial variability characterization of marine soils in offshore wind farms. Utilizing primary (e.g., internal friction angle, <i>ϕ</i>) and secondary (e.g., standard penetration test, SPT <i>N</i> values) variable measurements, the BCCS method employs a Bayesian framework to infer variogram model parameters and to quantify statistical uncertainty. Notably, the statistical uncertainty is considered in subsequent conditional co-simulation of the primary variable. The proposed approach is applied to characterizing the spatial variability of <i>ϕ</i> based on measurements of <i>ϕ</i> and SPT <i>N</i> in a sand layer in an offshore wind farm. The proposed methodology effectively characterizes marine soil spatial variability using sparse non-co-located primary and secondary datasets. Neglecting statistical uncertainty in variogram model parameters underestimates the prediction uncertainty for the primary variable. This can be mitigated by incorporating an informative prior distribution, assimilating secondary data, and increasing primary data volume. Efficacy depends on existing knowledge and data quality.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 2","pages":"765 - 779"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362148","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta GeotechnicaPub Date : 2024-10-26DOI: 10.1007/s11440-024-02437-2
Xiangyun Zhou, De’an Sun, Junran Zhang, Fan Peng, Mingyu Li, Yunshan Xu, You Gao
{"title":"Effect of particle size distribution on the thermal conductivity of crushed GMZ bentonite pellet mixtures","authors":"Xiangyun Zhou, De’an Sun, Junran Zhang, Fan Peng, Mingyu Li, Yunshan Xu, You Gao","doi":"10.1007/s11440-024-02437-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11440-024-02437-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Crushed high-density bentonite pellet mixtures have been proposed to fill the construction gaps of the high-level radioactive nuclear waste repository. Compared with compacted bentonite block, the thermal conductivity of bentonite pellet mixture is relatively low, which can cause a significant increase in the peak temperature of the buffer layer. In this regard, it is crucial to investigate the thermal conductivity of bentonite pellet mixtures for the repository’s long-term safety assessment. In this study, crushed high-density GMZ bentonite pellets with six size classes were produced. The thermal conductivities of mono-size, binary-size, and multi-size class mixtures of crushed bentonite pellets were measured. The effect of particle size distributions of pellet mixtures on the thermal conductivity was analyzed. The results reveal that the thermal conductivity of a mono-size class mixture increases as the mean particle size increases. The influence of mean particle size on thermal conductivity lessens as dry density increases. The thermal conductivity of a binary-size class mixture decreases initially and subsequently increases as the mass fraction of the fine size class increases. The thermal conductivity of a multi-size class mixture firstly increases and then decreases with increasing the distribution modulus <i>q</i>, reaching a peak value in the range of <i>q</i> = 0.6 ~ 0.8.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"20 2","pages":"563 - 581"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143362030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}