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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Characterization of porosity in support of mechanical property analysis

Conference ·
OSTI ID:145394
 [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. New England Research Inc., White River Junction, VT (United States)

The general applicability of laboratory data for engineering purposes is a prime concern for the design and licensing of a potential repository of high level nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain. In order for the results of experiments to be applicable to the repository scale, the data must be scaled to in situ size and conditions. Previous laboratory investigations of tuff have shown that porosity has a dominant, general effect on mechanical properties. As a result, it is very important for the interpretation of mechanical property data that porosity is measured on each sampled test. Porosity alone, however, does not address all of the issues important to mechanical behavior. Variability in size and distribution of pore space produces significantly different mechanical properties. A nondestructive technique for characterizing the internal structure of the sample prior to testing is being developed and the results are being analyzed. The information obtained from this technique can help in both qualitative and quantitative interpretation of test results.

Research Organization:
American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States); American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
145394
Report Number(s):
CONF-930408--Vol.2
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English