Microstructural Analysis of Thermally Induced Changes in Permeability Coefficient and Settlement of Marl Soils

Temperature changes the engineering behavior of clay soils. Clay soils are used as a protective cover for burial of high-level wastes (HLWs), where the soil is exposed to medium to high temperature regimes. Marls are a type of sedimentary deposits consisting of clay minerals and calcium carbonate. These two components can substantially influence the behavior of marl soils from an engineering standpoint. The present study focuses on the engineering characteristics of marl soils under various temperature regimes with an emphasis on the microstructural changes in permeability coefficient, settlement, and compressive strength Therefore, after determining the geotechnical properties of the marl soil, its samples were exposed to temperatures from 25℃ to 900℃. The changes in marl soil properties were analyzed via mechanical tests (measuring permeability, consolidation, and uniaxial compressive strength), and microstructural tests (measuring pH and X-Ray diffraction), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The microstructural analysis of marl soil samples indicates that due to the deterioration and formation of new minerals as well as soil particle arrangement and microscopic texture; temperature regimes increase the permeability coefficient. However, at 700℃ the formation of cement compounds reduces permeability coefficient by an approximate factor of 50,000.