Effect of temperature on collapse potential of kaolin clay

The understanding of the fundamental behaviour of clays subjected to high temperatures is essential when working with clay barriers in nuclear waste storage, drilling of deep offshore wells or using clay liners on landfills. The effect of temperature on the soil’s response under different wetting and stress paths has been studied on this research project. A series of single and double temperature-controlled oedometer tests were performed on kaolin clay samples at different initial suction values. Initial suction of the studied material, at different temperatures, was obtained using the filter paper methodology. The oedometer tests were under-taken to characterise the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of the kaolin clay and to quantify the collapse potential at different temperature levels. Based on the experimental results, it was possible to observe a significant influence of the temperature magnitude as well as the initial level of suction on the material’s behaviour.