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Title: Geoengineering characterization of welded tuffs from laboratory and field investigations

Abstract

Welded tuff beneath Yucca Mountain adjacent to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) is being considered for development as a high-level radioactive waste repository by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project. Because access into Yucca Mountain has been limited to borehole explorations, early geoengineering materials characterizations have been derived from laboratory tests on cores from Yucca Mountain and from laboratory and field tests on welded tuffs located in G-Tunnel on the NTS. G-Tunnel contains welded tuffs that have similar properties and stress states to those at Yucca Mountain and has been the location for in situ rock mechanics testing. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the geoengineering material property data obtained to date and to compare appropriate laboratory and field data from G-Tunnel to findings from Yucca Mountain. Geomechanical and thermal data are provided and are augmented by limited geological and hydrological data. A comparison of results of laboratory measurements on tuffs from Yucca Mountain and G-Tunnel indicates good agreement between the bulk densities, saturations, moduli of elasticity, Poisson`s ratios, and P-wave velocities. The G-Tunnel tuff has slightly lower thermal conductivity, tensile strength, compressive strength and slightly higher matrix permeability than does the welded tuff near themore » proposed repository horizon at Yucca Mountain. From a laboratory-to-field scaling perspective, the modulus of deformation shows the most sensitivity to field conditions because of the presence of joints found in the field. 14 refs., 1 tab.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (United States); New Mexico Univ., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
59883
Report Number(s):
CONF-841157-
ON: TI85015352; ISBN 0-931837-09-X
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-76DP00789
Resource Type:
Book
Resource Relation:
Conference: Materials Research Society annual meeting, Boston, MA (United States), 26-29 Nov 1984; Other Information: PBD: 1984; Related Information: Is Part Of Scientific basis for Nuclear Waste Management VIII; Jantzen, C.M.; Stone, J.A.; Ewing, R.C. (eds.); PB: 547-554 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; 05 NUCLEAR FUELS; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; TUFF; MECHANICAL PROPERTIES; PERMEABILITY; ROCK MECHANICS; THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; FIELD TESTS; YUCCA MOUNTAIN; RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL; HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS; Yucca Mountain Project

Citation Formats

Zimmerman, R M, Nimick, F B, and Board, M P. Geoengineering characterization of welded tuffs from laboratory and field investigations. United States: N. p., 1984. Web.
Zimmerman, R M, Nimick, F B, & Board, M P. Geoengineering characterization of welded tuffs from laboratory and field investigations. United States.
Zimmerman, R M, Nimick, F B, and Board, M P. 1984. "Geoengineering characterization of welded tuffs from laboratory and field investigations". United States.
@article{osti_59883,
title = {Geoengineering characterization of welded tuffs from laboratory and field investigations},
author = {Zimmerman, R M and Nimick, F B and Board, M P},
abstractNote = {Welded tuff beneath Yucca Mountain adjacent to the Nevada Test Site (NTS) is being considered for development as a high-level radioactive waste repository by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) Project. Because access into Yucca Mountain has been limited to borehole explorations, early geoengineering materials characterizations have been derived from laboratory tests on cores from Yucca Mountain and from laboratory and field tests on welded tuffs located in G-Tunnel on the NTS. G-Tunnel contains welded tuffs that have similar properties and stress states to those at Yucca Mountain and has been the location for in situ rock mechanics testing. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the geoengineering material property data obtained to date and to compare appropriate laboratory and field data from G-Tunnel to findings from Yucca Mountain. Geomechanical and thermal data are provided and are augmented by limited geological and hydrological data. A comparison of results of laboratory measurements on tuffs from Yucca Mountain and G-Tunnel indicates good agreement between the bulk densities, saturations, moduli of elasticity, Poisson`s ratios, and P-wave velocities. The G-Tunnel tuff has slightly lower thermal conductivity, tensile strength, compressive strength and slightly higher matrix permeability than does the welded tuff near the proposed repository horizon at Yucca Mountain. From a laboratory-to-field scaling perspective, the modulus of deformation shows the most sensitivity to field conditions because of the presence of joints found in the field. 14 refs., 1 tab.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/59883}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1984},
month = {Mon Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1984}
}

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