Dynamic compaction properties of bentonite-based materials

Dynamic compaction tests of bentonite-based materials (BBMs) with 100, 70 and 50% bentonite contents have been performed using five powdery bentonites with different physicochemical properties to establish the simplified evaluation method for dynamic compaction properties of BBMs. For a given bentonite content and a total compaction energy condition, the maximum dry density, ρdmax, and the optimum water content, wopt, which are well-known indexes of compaction properties, for BBMs were determined according to the type of bentonite used for BBMs. For evaluation of those values of BBMs derived in this study, the plastic limit of BBM, wpbbm, was defined as the plastic limit that was measured using the sample pulverized to a maximum grain size of less than 425 μm in the case of BBM with sand having a maximum grain size of more than 425 μm and was measured using the powdery bentonite itself in the case of BBM without sand. This study proposed equations for evaluating ρdmax and wopt of BBMs with more than 50% bentonite content under the total compaction energy conditions of 551–2755 kN-m/m3 using wpbbm. Finally, we related the equations derived in this study to the equation for evaluating hydraulic properties of compacted BBMs proposed in previous work and proposed the preparation method of BBMs with more than 50% bentonite content for constructing BBM buffer by in-situ compaction method.