Pressure infiltration characteristics of bentonite slurry

Abstract

Infiltration of pressurised bentonite slurry into saturated sand has been investigated in two laboratory set-ups. The first set-up is comparable to set-ups described in the literature for slurry infiltration tests. The second one results in a hydraulic gradient in the soil comparable to what can be expected in front of a tunnel-boring machine. The different characteristics of mud spurt and filter cake formation were clearly identified in the experimental results. The transition from mud spurt to filter cake formation depends on the infiltration velocity according to the literature. However, this was not found in these tests.