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Swelling potential has long been used as a terminology to quantitatively describe the expansibility of soil. It encompasses multiple definitions such as the swelling pressure under specific strain constraints or the free swelling strain without confining stress. However, although these definitions are of great significance to engineering practice, they do not directly represent the physical...
Underground CO2 storage is a crucial effort to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. By this, a large volume of gaseous CO2 is stored underground. Shale formations due to their proper storage capacity—composed of both bulk and adsorption types—can host CO2 for geo-sequestrations. Shale is also a common lithology of cap rocks over underground storage sites, which has the duty of sealing the...
Hydrogels also known as superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are crosslinked hydrophilic polymers characterized by a three-dimensional polymer network structure. These polymers are capable of absorbing water to thousands of times their own weight. Hydrogels can either be synthetic (polyacrylic acid) or natural such as biopolymers (xanthan gum). The use of hydrogels has been found to have increased...
The phenomenon of adsorption-induced deformation is prevalent in both natural materials such as wood and coal, as well as in engineered materials like cement, MOFs (Metal-Organic Frameworks), and porous polymers. As the partial pressure of adsorbate vapor rises, the strain isotherm of these materials can display intricate nonlinear and non-monotonic behaviors.
Under low partial pressures,...
Soil desiccation crack is ubiquitous in nature, yet the physics of its initiation and propagation remain under debate, as it involves complex interactions across multiple fields of mechanics, hydraulics, and thermals. Here, an experimental attempt is made to uncover the role of substrate roughness on the soil desiccation process. The substrate roughness is deliberately fabricated by 3D...
Illite clay constitutes the main component of the Norwegian quick clay that is known for its tendency to transform rapidly from a solid to a liquid state under certain pressure.1 Currently the practical method for stabilizing quick clay involves the use of cement and lime, resulting in significant CO2 emissions.2 To explore more environmentally friendly stabilizers, nanoscale theoretical...
It is now well recognized that soil structure is dynamic and changes due to numerous reasons, most notably due to saturation changes. In or study, we have sampled 15 soil samples and performed a detailed X-ray microtomography (XCT) imaging study of the full wetting-drying curve [1]. By analyzing the XCT images, we revealed the dynamics of soil pore structure under slow water changes. In total,...
In continuum models for drying, macroscopic parameters are integral, relying on the microstructure of porous media. These parameters are determined through the volume averaging of state variables, often derived from simulations using fixed pore network models (PNM). While fixed PNM is a prevalent computational method, it typically assumes a static microstructure throughout the drying process,...
In pharmaceutical science, the disintegration process refers to the mechanical breakup of an intact tablet into small fragments to increase the surface area of the drug substance in contact with the dissolution medium [1]. Within the pharmaceutical industry, the disintegration time, which is the time required to disintegrate a tablet until no palpable residues remain, has been employed as one...
