Thermal Strain Behaviour of Clays Cooled to Cryogenic Temperatures

Landva, J?rn; ,

Thermal Strain Behaviour of Clays Cooled to Cryogenic Temperatures

by J?rn Landva, Jacques, Whitford and Associates Ltd, Dartmouth, Canada,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Cold Regions Engineering

Abstract:

The thermal expansion behaviour of two different types of clays (Boom clay from Belgium and a pure kaolinite-water paste) has been studied in a temperature range from +20? to -150?C (LNG has a boiling point of -165?C). Two test methods have been employed: (1) a vitreous quartz dilatometer was used to measure uniaxial thermal expansion throughout the whole temperature range, and (2) sonic velocity measurements were used to examine the change of state of the clay as the temperature was decreased. The behaviour of each clay is described with respect to the structure of the soil particles and the mechanics of porewater freezing. Each clay was found to have a different strain vs. temperature relationship, with distinct zones of freezing behaviour, down to a characteristic peak expansion temperature, below which the behaviour and the state of the water in each clay was found to be similar.

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