Advances in Understanding Engineered Clay Barriers Proceedings of the International Symposium on Large Scale Field Tests in Granite, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain, 12-14 November 2003

The interaction between the barrier, waste, and surrounding ground may involve thermo-hydro-mechanical and chemical coupled processes that have been analyzed by means of in situ tests, lab experiments, and numerical modeling. Within this context, large scale field tests have been developed to validate research models and gain experience on instrumentation and installation techniques. This book addresses a number of issues concerning engineered clay barriers, including the following topics: field emplacement and instrumentation techniques; fundamental research, material behaviour, and laboratory testing; barrier behaviour and THM modelling; chemical effects, HC, and THMC modeling.

The use of clay barriers for waste-isolating purposes has gained increasing attention in the geotechnical engineering community. Practical interest is linked to fundamental research, which includes examination of the behaviour of compacted materials and expansive clays. The interaction between the barrier, waste and the surrounding ground may involve several thermo-hydro-mechanical and chemical-coupled processes that have been analyzed by means of 'in situ' tests, laboratory experiments and numerical modelling. Large-scale field tests have been developed in recent years by European Agencies dealing with the management of radioactive waste. These experiments have provided an opportunity to calibrate and to validate research models and offer benefits in terms of experience of instrumentation and installation techniques. The book includes aboutsixty papers presented in a symposium held in Spain in 2003. The four main topics of the book are: field emplacement and instrumentation techniques; fundamental research, material behaviour (i.e. bentonite), and laboratory testing; barrier behaviour and THM modelling; and chemical effects, HC and THMC modelling.

Contributions were distributed into four main topics: a) field emplacement and instrumentation techniques; b) fundamental research, material behaviour (i.e. bentonite), and laboratory testing; c) barrier behaviour and THM modelling; d) chemical effects, HC and THMC modelling.

Eduardo E. Alonso is Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the Technical University of Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain). His research interest lies in the behaviour of unsaturated and compacted soils, including highly expansive materials, particularly the generation of models for coupled analysis of thermal, hydraulic and mechanical interactions in compacted clay barriers. Alberto Ledesma is Professor of Geotechnical Engineering at the Technical University of Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain). He has been involved in several research projects dealing with the behaviour of bentonite barriers for radioactive waste disposal, including the design and analysis of large-scale field experiments developed in hard rock laboratories. His research interests include the numerical modelling of geo-mechanical problems such as those involved in this type of clay barriers.