State of compacted bentonite inside a fractured granite cylinder after infiltration

A small-scale mock-up test was carried out on a fractured hollow granite cylinder with compacted MX80 bentonite inside, to study the interaction between engineered barrier (compacted bentonite) and natural barrier (host rock with the presence of rock fracture). The swelling pressure and relative humidity of bentonite were monitored with respect to the position of the rock fracture during 349 days of infiltration. Herein, the variation of water...