Abstract
Water molecules are adsorbed onto the surface and interlayer of clay minerals and form a film, which causes that pore pressure diffusion in clayey soils differs from that in granular material. In this paper, adsorbed water is classified into strongly adsorbed water and loosely adsorbed water, which provide a better understanding of the physical mechanisms of the adsorbed water. To investigate the impact of adsorbed water on pore pressure diffusion, a series laboratory tests were conducted, including the uplift pressure test, pore pressure diffusion test and adsorbed water content test. The experimental results implies that strongly adsorbed water can neither flow nor participate in pressure diffusion, but loosely adsorbed water shears at pressure gradients and participates in laminar flow. Therefore, as long as the dense clayey soil contains loosely adsorbed water, the pore pressure change at a local site can diffuse throughout the material. A concept called “loosely adsorbed water index (I lo) is defined to characterize both the content and physical properties of loosely adsorbed water: (1) when I lo ≥ 1, the peripheral water molecules of loosely adsorbed water layer essentially behave the same as free water; (2) as I lo → 0, the physical properties of adsorbed water may evolve from a gel-like state to a solid-like state (strongly adsorbed water). According to the density of clay and the content of adsorbed water, the process of pore pressure diffusion can be divided into three modes: flow channels of free fluid, deformations of the adsorbed water layer and shear motions of the peripheral-adsorbed water molecules. Pore pressure response to additional water pressure strongly depends on the permeability, seepage path and boundary conditions. The time-lag effect of pore pressure diffusion should be considered in applications of effective stress in engineering.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ammann, L., Bergaya, F., and Lagaly, G., 2005, Determination of the cation exchange capacity of clays with copper complexes revisited. Clay Minerals, 40, 441–453.
Andersen, L., 2007, Effective Stresses in Soil and Rock and Consolidation in Three Dimensions. Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, Aalborg, 5 p.
Chakrabarty, D., Gautam, S., Mitra, S., Gil, A., Vicente, M.A., and Mukhopadhyay, R., 2006, Dynamics of absorbed water in saponite clay: Neutron scattering study. Chemical Physics Letters, 426, 296–300.
Chelidze, T.L. and Gueguen, Y., 1999, Electrical spectroscopy of porous rocks: a review-I. Theoretical models. Geophysical Journal International, 137, 1–15.
Chelidze, T.L., Gueguen, Y., and Ruffet, C., 1999, Electrical spectroscopy of porous rocks: a review-II. Experimental results and interpretation. Geophysical Journal International, 137, 16–34.
Deng, W.Y., Li, X.D., Yan, J.H., Wang, F., Chi, Y., and Cen, K., 2011, Moisture distribution in sludges based on different testing methods. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 23, 875–880.
Dixon, D.A., Gray, M.N., and Hnatiw, D., 1992, Critical gradients and pressures in dense swelling clays. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 29, 1113–1119.
Dixon, D.A., Graham, J., and Gray, M.N., 1999, Hydraulic conductivity of clays in confined tests under low hydraulic gradients. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 36, 815–825.
Fang, Y.S., 2007, Discussion on pore water pressure in soil and relative problems based on water pressure ratio. Geotechnical Engineering World, 10, 21–26. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-7801.2007.05.005 (in Chinese)
Fang, Z. and Yin, J.H., 2007, Responses of excess pore water pressure in soft marine clay around a soil-cement column. International Journal of Geomechanics, 7, 167–175.
Fripiat, J.J., Letellier, M., Levitz, P., and Thomas, J.M., 1984, Interaction of water with clay surfaces [and Discussion]. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 311, 287–299.
Gonçalvès, J., Rousseau-Gueutin, P., de Marsily, G., Cosenza, P., and Violette, S., 2010, What is the significance of pore pressure in a saturated shale layer? Water Resources Research, 46, W04514.
Hainzl, S., Fischer, T., and Dahm, T., 2012, Seismicity-based estimation of the driving fluid pressure in the case of swarm activity in Western Bohemia. Geophysical Journal International, 191, 271–281.
Han, S.-J., Kim, S.-S., and Kim, B.-I., 2004, Electroosmosis and pore pressure development characteristics in lead contaminated soil during electrokinetic remediation. Geosciences Journal, 8, 85–93.
Hueckel, T.A., 1992, Water–mineral interaction in hygromechanics of clays exposed to environmental loads: a mixture-theory approach. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 29, 1071–1086.
Hummel, N. and Shapiro, S.A., 2012, Microseismic estimates of hydraulic diffusivity in case of non-linear fluid-rock interaction. Geophysical Journal International, 188, 1441–1453.
Igwe, O., Wang, F., Sassa, K., and Fukuoka, H., 2013, The laboratory evidence of phase transformation from landslide to debris flow. Geosciences Journal, 18, 31–44.
Jacinto, A.C., Villar, M.V., and Ledesma, A., 2012, Influence of water density on the water-retention curve of expansive clays. Géotechnique, 62, 657–667.
Kashir, M. and Yanful, E.K., 2001, Hydraulic conductivity of bentonite permeated with acid mine drainage. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 38, 1034–1048.
Li, G.X., 2011, Some problems about principle of effective stress. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 33, 315–320. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Li, Z.-M., Zeng, W.-X., and Gao, M.-L., 2014, Nuclear magnetic resonance test and analysis on water phase of the ultra-soft soil under different load level and rate. Acta Physica Sinica, 63, 359–366. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Logsdon, S.D. and Laird, D.A., 2002, Dielectric spectra of bound water in hydrated Ca-smectite. Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, 305, 243–246.
Marcial, D., Delage, P., and Cui, Y.J., 2002, On the high stress compression of bentonites. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 39, 812–820.
Martin, R.T., 1960, Adsorbed water on clay: A review. Clays and Clay Minerals, 9, 28–70.
McClure, M.W. and Horne, R.N., 2014, Correlations between formation properties and induced seismicity during high pressure injection into granitic rock. Engineering Geology, 175, 74–80.
Miller, R.J., Overman, A.R., and Peverly, J.H., 1969, The absence of threshold gradients in clay-water systems. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 33, 183–187.
Mitchell, J.K. and Soga, K., 2005, Fundamentals of Soil Behavior. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 577 p.
Mulargia, F. and Bizzarri, A., 2015, Fluid pressure waves trigger earthquakes. Geophysical Journal International, 200, 1279–1283.
Nguyen, X.P., Cui, Y.J., Tang, A.M., Deng, Y.F., Li, X.L., and Wouters, L., 2013, Effects of pore water chemical composition on the hydro-mechanical behavior of natural stiff clays. Engineering Geology, 166, 52–64.
Olsen, H.W., 1965, Deviations from Darcy’s law in saturated clays. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 29, 135–140.
Parotidis, M., Shapiro, S.A., and Rothert, E., 2005, Evidence for triggering of the Vogtland swarms 2000 by pore pressure diffusion. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110. DOI: 10.1029/2004JB003267
Pusch, R. and Carlsson, T., 1985, The physical state of pore water of na smectite used as barrier component. Engineering Geology, 21, 257–265.
Rajendran, K., Thulasiraman, N., and Sreekumari, K., 2013, Microearthquake activity near the Idukki Reservoir, south India: A rare example of renewed triggered seismicity. Engineering Geology, 153, 45–52.
Raynaud, S., Vasseur, G., Célérier, B., Loggia, D., Ghoreychi, M., Hélène Mathon, M., and Mazerolle, F., 2010, Experimental study of the relation between the permeability of kaolinite and its deformation at micro and macro scale. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 47, 559–567.
Salles, F., Douillard, J.M., Denoyel, R., Bildstein, O., Jullien, M., Beurroies, I., and Van Damme, H., 2009, Hydration sequence of swelling clays: evolutions of specific surface area and hydration energy. Journal of colloid and interface science, 333, 510–522.
Salles, F., Bildstein, O., Douillard, J.M., Jullien, M., Raynal, J., and Van Damme, H., 2010, On the cation dependence of interlamellar and interparticular water and swelling in smectite clays. Langmuir, 26, 5028–5037.
Shang, X.Y., Zhou, G.Q., Kuang, L.F., and Cai, W., 2014, Compressibility of deep clay in East China subjected to a wide range of consolidation stresses. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 51, 1–7.
Shapiro, S.A., Patzig, R., Rothert, E., and Rindschwentner, J., 2003, Triggering of seismicity by pore-pressure perturbations: Permeability- related signatures of the phenomenon. Pure and Applied Geophysics, 160, 1051–1066.
Sing, K.S.W., Everett, D.H., Haul, R.A.W., Moscou, L., Pierotti, R.A., Rouquerol, J., and Siemieniewska, T., 1985, Reporting physisorption data for gas/solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface area and porosity. Pure and Applied Chemistry, 57, 603–619.
Singh, P.N. and Wallender, W.W., 2008, Effects of adsorbed water layer in predicting saturated hydraulic conductivity for clays with Kozeny-Carman equation. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 134, 829–836.
Sobolev, O., Favre Buivin, F., Kemner, E., Russina, M., Beuneu, B., Cuello, G.J., and Charlet, L., 2010, Water–clay surface interaction: A neutron scattering study. Chemical Physics, 374, 55–61.
Song, L., 2003, Study of water and earth pressures on retaining structures around clay foundation pits. Master Thesis, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 24 p. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Steudel, A. and Emmerich, K., 2013, Strategies for the successful preparation of homoionic smectites. Applied Clay Science, 75–76, 13–21.
Talwani, P., 2000, Seismogenic properties of the crust inferred from recent studies of reservoir-induced seismicity-application to Koyna. Current Science, 79, 1327–1333.
Turuntaev, S.B., Eremeeva, E.I., and Zenchenko, E.V., 2013, Laboratory study of microseismicity spreading due to pore pressure change. Journal of Seismology, 17, 137–145.
Vaxelaire, J., Mousques, P., Bongiovanni, J.M., and Puiggali, J.R., 2000, Desorption isotherms of domestic activated sludge. Environmental Technology, 21, 327–335.
Vaxelaire, J., 2001, Moisture sorption characteristics of waste activated sludge. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, 76, 377–382.
Vaxelaire, J. and Cezac, P., 2004, Moisture distribution in activated sludges: a review. Water research, 38, 2214–2229.
Villar, M.V., Martín, P.L., Bárcena, I., García-Siñeriz, J.L., Gómez- Espina, R., and Lloret, A., 2012, Long-term experimental evidences of saturation of compacted bentonite under repository conditions. Engineering Geology, 149–150, 57–69.
Wang, P.Q., 2001, The study for quantitative analysis of water absorbed on clays and their hydration mechanism. Ph.D. Thesis, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 90 p. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Wang, Y., Lu, S., Ren, T., and Li, B., 2011, Bound water content of air-dry soils measured by thermal analysis. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 75, 481–487.
Wong, R.C.K. and Varatharajan, S., 2014, Viscous behaviour of clays in one-dimensional compression. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 51, 795–809.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tang, L., Chen, H. & Song, J. Process of pore pressure diffusion in saturated clay soil and impact of adsorbed water. Geosci J 20, 649–665 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-016-0002-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-016-0002-4