Mechanics Model to Determine Swelling Potential of Expansive Soils

The factors influencing on soil expansion are reviewed in the paper. A mechanics model to determine swelling potential of expansive soils is presented. The mechanics model is based on the softening of expansive soil following absorption of water. The constitutive relationships of the mechanics model include the relationship among swelling under free load, swelling under load, and vertical pressure, and the relationship of swelling under free loading and swelling pressure. A concept of additional compression modulus is introduced and the method determining the modulus is proposed. Finally, the predicted results of swelling potential using the mechanics model compare well with the measured data.

Modeling the complex and long term swelling behavior of argillaceous rocks

The swelling behavior of argillaceous rocks is a complex phenomenon and has been determined using a lot of indexes in the literature. Determining the required modeling indexes that need to be performed requires expensive tests and extensive time in different laboratories. In some of the cases, it is too diffi- cult to find a relation between the effective variables and swelling potential. This paper suggests a method for modeling the time dependent swelling pressure of argillaceous rocks. The trend of short term swelling potential during the first 3 days of the swelling pressure testing is used for modeling the long term swelling pressure of mudstone that is recorded during months. The artificial neural network (ANN) as a power tool is used for modeling this nonlinear and complex behavior. This method enables predicting the swelling potential of argillaceous rocks when the required indexes and also correlation between them is unattainable. This method facilitates the model of all studied samples under a unique formulation.

Effects of mineralogy on thermo-hydro-mechanical parameters of MX80 bentonite

Thermal conductivity, water retention curve and swelling behavior of two MX80 bentonite samples were studied in the present work. The difference obtained from these two MX80 bentonite samples was then analyzed in terms of mineralogical effects （effects of the proportion of quartz and montmorillonite）. It was concluded that the mineralogical effect was significant on the thermal conductivity and the swelling capacity; on the contrary, it was negligible on the water retention property.

3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium improves mitochondrial functions after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium is a new synthetic water-soluble compound derived from daidzein（an active ingredient of the kudzu vine root）. It has been shown to have a protective effect on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats. We plan to study the mechanism of its protective effect. 3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium was injected in rats after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Results showed that 3′-daidzein sulfonate sodium significantly reduced mitochondrial swelling, significantly elevated the mitochondrial membrane potential, increased mitochondrial superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and decreased mitochondrial malondialdehyde levels. 3′-Daidzein sulfonate sodium improved the structural integrity of the blood-brain barrier and reduced blood-brain barrier permeability. These findings confirmed that 3′-daidzein sulfonate sodium has a protective effect on mitochondrial functions after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, improves brain energy metabolism, and provides protection against blood-brain barrier damage.

Experimental Study on Volume Change Indices of Bentonite Soils

This paper reports experimental results regarding statically compacted clay specimens to study the volume change behavior of bentonites. The volume change indices such as the coefficients of compressibility, volume compressibility, and consolidation （ i. e. av, mv. and cv respectively） and the saturated coefficient of permeability k at different surcharge pressures were determined with the commonly adopted procedures. The swell potentials, swelling pressures, different phases of the swollen specimens were analyzed for the volume change behavior during compression. Experimental results revealed that the swell potential is dependent on the initial dry density, the initial water content and the vertical pressure at which the clay specimens were allowed to swell. The swelling pressure was found to be similar for the specimens with varying water content, showing strong dependency on the initial void ratio. The compression indices （ viz. mv and av） of saturated specimens decreased with an increase in the vertical pressure. About 80% to 90% of the volume change occurred in the primary compression phase under any given vertical pressure. The coefficient of consolidation cr. and the saturated coefficient of permeability k decreased with an increase in the vertical pressure.

Swelling of clay minerals in ammonium leaching of weathered crust elution-deposited rare earth ores

The effect of hydrated radius, cation valence, pH and solution concentration on the zeta potential of clay minerals was investigated, and the relation between zeta potential of clay minerals and swelling was discussed in different leaching agents as well. The results show that the zeta potential of clay minerals decreases with the hydrated ionic radius increasing. It could be seen that the zeta potential of the clay minerals in AICl3 solution is positive,whereas that in NH4C1, KCl and MgCl2 solution is negative. And the zeta potential of clay minerals increases with the cation valence increasing. Moreover, the zeta potential of clay minerals decreases with the solution pH increasing,whereas that increases with the solution concentration increasing in different ammonium solutions. In addition,the swelling of clay minerals decreases while the zeta potential of clay minerals increasing in different ammonium solutions. The ability of compound ammonium to inhibit the swelling of clay minerals is lower than that of single ammonium solution.