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Title: Mechanical properties and consolidation of potential DHLW (Defense High-Level Wastes) backfill materials: Crushed salt and 70/30 bentonite/sand. [Crushed salt: bentonite = 70:30 by weight]

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6450062

Thermomechanical properties of intact rock salt and the waste package materials have appeared in the literature. Only limited data is available, however, for the two backfill materials of interest in the analyses, crushed salt and 70/30 (by weight) bentonite/sand. A unique property of bentonite-based materials is the propensity for clay particles to swell as a result of water sorption. If volume expansion is prevented or partially restricted, pressures are built up within the bentonite materials. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to supply appropriate data (not available in the literature) in support of the aforementioned detailed thermomechanical stress analyses. The study consists of laboratory tests performed on samples of crushed salt and 70/30 bentonite/sand. The remainder of this report is organized into five chapters and four appendixes. Chapter 2 describes the specimens tested in this study. Chapter 3 describes the testing machines and test procedures used. Chapter 4 gives the results of the tests on crushed salt and 70/30 bentonite/sand. Chapter 5 gives conclusions of the test program and is followed by a list of cited references. Four appendixes conclude the report. The first and second give stress-strain curves for the unconfined compression tests on crushed salt and 70/30 bentonite/sand, respectively; the third gives details of the algorithm used to compute volumetric strains during hydrostatic compression tests which accounts for vessel volume change; while the final appendix gives mean stress-volumetric strain curves for the hydrostatic compression tests. 16 refs., 18 figs., 10 tabs.

Research Organization:
RE/SPEC, Inc., Rapid City, SD (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
6450062
Report Number(s):
SAND-85-7208; ON: DE87012509; TRN: 87-025461
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English