Mechanical behavior of sandy facies of Opalinus Clay under different load conditions

The mechanical behavior of sandy facies of Opalinus Clay at the Mont Terri underground rock laboratory (URL) in Switzerland was investigated with drained and undrained triaxial compression and extension, cyclic compression, and creep tests. Samples were taken from boreholes drilled parallel to bedding. Most of the samples were reconditioned to minimize sampling effects of desaturation and micro-cracking. The compression was accomplished by...