engleski

Influence of desiccation on swelling behavior of initially saturated swelling rocks

The focus of the paper is the investigation and modeling of the behavior of initially saturated swelling rocks and soils during and after the desiccation process. The desiccation and swelling studies were performed on swelling rock samples collected at the Morenska Draga location near town of Kutina, Croatia. The experimental results have demonstrated that a saturated swelling rock does not swell and that upon desatura-tion its swelling potential is realized in contact with water. The extent of swelling depends on the initial deg-ree of saturation at the moment of wetting. The characteristics of the unsaturated zone must be known in or-der to predict the swelling behavior of natural expansive rock. The laboratory tests described here provide information for determining the necessary parameters. The numerical model used to predict moisture distribu-tion within the desicating sample provides a realistic description of the process. The presented results contri-bute to a better understanding of the swelling rock behavior and provide a rational framework for the analysis of the desiccation process and its influence on the swelling.

desiccation; swelling; rocks

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