Abstract
Rock mass for disposing of radioactive waste are required to be durable for a long time. Grouting with clay-type materials is therefore desirable for improving the impermeability of the rock mass. Mixing ethanol solution with bentonite produces slurry that is more dense and less cohesive than the one made by mixing water with bentonite.
This paper presents the results of a laboratory test of injection into model cracks and of an in-situ test.
The tests were conducted to assess the applicability of ethanol bentonite slurry as an impermeable grout to control the occurrence of seepage-causing cracking detected during tunnel excavation.
It was suggested that ethanol bentonite slurry is effective as an impermeable grout material because not only of lower cohesiveness but also of higher density of slurry provided by using ethanol instead of water.
