Representation of Compacted Clay Minifabric Using Random Networks
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
Volume 122, Issue 11
Abstract
This paper demonstrates the application of two-dimensional random networks to quantitatively represent the minifabric of compacted clays. The structure of compacted clays is idealized using aggregations of spherical clusters that in turn are simulated as circles in a two-dimensional plane. Flow is considered to take place in intercluster pores only, and the random network of pores in the minifabric is constructed using constant-diameter pore segments. The maximum diameter of the clusters is shown to govern the important network parameters, viz. the diameter, length distribution, and areal density of pore segments; and connectivity of the network. It is shown that with small clusters, the permeability is low due to the low transmissivities of individual pore segments, in spite of the well-connected nature of the networks. Conversely, for the same intercluster porosity, the permeability corresponding to large clusters is high in spite of the poorly connected nature of the networks, because of the high transmissivities of the individual pore segments. The network representation is applied to prior investigations where necessary data are available, and good agreement is observed between experimental observations of hydraulic conductivity and predictions made by the random networks.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Benson, C. H., and Daniel, D. E.(1990). “Influence of clods on hydraulic conductivity of compacted clay.”J. Geotech. Engrg., ASCE, 116(8), 1231–1248.
2.
Boynton, S. S., and Daniel, D. E.(1985). “Hydraulic conductivity tests on compacted clay.”J. Geotech. Engrg., ASCE, 111(4), 465–477.
3.
Charlaix, E., Guyon, E., and Roux, S.(1986). “Permeability effects in the permeability of heterogeneous media, fragmentation, form and flow in fractured media.”Annals of the IsraelPhysics Society, 8, 316–324.
4.
Chatzis, I., and Dullien, F. A. L.(1977). “Modeling pore structure by 2-D and 3-D network with application to sandstone.”J. Canadian Petr. Tech., 16, 97–108.
5.
Collins, K., and McGown, A.(1974). “The form and function of microfabric features in a variety of natural soils.”Géotechnique, London, England, 24(2), 223–254.
6.
Daniel, D. E.(1984). “Predicting hydraulic conductivity of clay liners.”J. Geotech. Engrg., ASCE, 110(2), 285–300.
7.
Englman, R., Gur, Y., and Jaeger, Z.(1983). “Fluid flow through a crack network in rocks.”J. Appl. Mech., 50, 707–711.
8.
Essam, I. W.(1980). “Percolation theory.”Rep. on Progress in Phys., 43, 833–910.
9.
Fatt, I.(1950). “The network model of porous media.”Trans. of the Am. Inst. of Mech. Engrs., Petr. Trans., 207, 160–163.
10.
Garcia-Bengochea, I., Lovell, C. W., and Altschaeffl, A. G.(1979a). “Pore distribution and permeability of silty clays.”J. Geotech. Engrg. Div., ASCE, 105(7), 839–856.
11.
Garcia-Bengochea, I., Lovell, C. W., and Wood, L. E. (1979b). “The use of pore size distribution parameters to predict premeability.”Proc., 7th Eur. Conf. on Soil Mech. and Found. Engrg., Vol. 2, 49–56.
12.
Garcia-Bengochea, I., and Lovell, C. W. (1981). “Correlative measurements of pore size distribution and permeability in soils.”Permeability and Ground Water Contaminant Transport, ASTM STP 746, T. F. Zimmie and C. O. Riggs, eds., American Society for Testing and Materials, 137–150.
13.
Hestir, K., and Long, J. C. S. (1990). “Analytical expressions for the permeability of random two-dimensional Poisson fracture networks based on regular lattice percolation and equivalent media theories.”J. Geophys. Res., 95(B13), 21565–21581.
14.
Kirkpatrick, S.(1973). “Percolation and conduction.”Rev. Modern Phys., 45(4), 574–588.
15.
Lambe, T. W.(1958a). “The structure of compacted clay.”J. Soil Mech. and Found. Div., ASCE, 84(2), 682–702.
16.
Lambe, T. W.(1958b). “The engineering behavior of compacted clay.”J. Soil Mech. and Found. Div., ASCE, 84(2), 718–741.
17.
Long, J. C. S., Remer, J. S., Wilson, C. R., and Witherspoon, P. A.(1982). “Porous media equivalents for networks of discontinuous fractures.”Water Resour. Res., 18(3), 645–658.
18.
Long, J. C. S., and Witherspoon, P. A. (1985). “The relationship of the degree of interconnection to permeability in fracture networks.”J. Geophys. Res., 90(B4), 3087–3098.
19.
Mitchell, J. K., Hooper, D. R., and Campanella, R. G.(1965). “Permeability of compacted clay.”J. Soil Mech. and Found. Div., ASCE, 91(4), 41–65.
20.
Mitchell, J. K. (1993). Fundamentals of Soil Behavior, 2nd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y.
21.
Olsen, H. W.(1962). “Hydraulic flow through saturated clays.”Clays and Clay Minerals, 9(2), 131–161.
22.
Orbach, R.(1986). “Dynamics of fractal networks.”Sci., 231, 814–819.
23.
Robinson, P. (1984). “Connectivity, flow and transport in network models of fractured media,” PhD thesis, St. Catherine's College, Oxford, England.
24.
Rowell, D. L. (1994). Soil science: methods and applications . Longman Scientific and Technical, Longman Group UK Limited, Essex, England.
25.
Sahimi, M. (1995). Flow and transport in porous media and fractured rock: from classical methods to modern approaches . Weinheim, New York, N.Y.
26.
Seed, H. B., and Chan, C. K. (1959). “Structure and strength characteristics of compacted clays.”J. Soil Mech. and Found. Div., ASCE, 85(5), Proc. Paper 2216.
27.
Snow, D. T. (1965). “A parallel plate model of fractured permeable media,” PhD thesis, Univ. of California, Berkeley, Calif.
28.
Snow, D. T.(1969). “Aniostropic permeability of fractured media.”Water Resour. Res., 5(6), 1273–1289.
29.
Stauffer, D. (1985). Introduction to percolation theory . Taylor and Francis, London, 52.
30.
Thangavadivelu, S., and Reddi, L. N. (1996). “Random network modeling for determination of representative specimen size of compacted clays.”Geotechnical Special Publication No. 58 (Proceedings of Uncertainty '96), ASCE, Vol. 2, 1303–1317.
31.
Zallen, R. (1983). Physics of Amorphous Solids . John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y., 135–204.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical Engineering
Volume 122 • Issue 11 • November 1996
Pages: 906 - 913
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Nov 1, 1996
Published in print: Nov 1996
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.