Swelling pressure cell

The cells consist of a bottom cap (100 mm outer diameter, and 100 mm height) able to accommodate the granular pellets manufactured in this research. The 50 mm inner diameter of the cell hosting the clay sample is five times larger than the bigger pellets. The cell includes two water inlets for water injection and a top cylindrical piston with two outlets for air evacuation. A built-in stainless-steel rigid frame ensures the constant volume conditions of the sample. A calibrated load cell in contact with the piston measures the development of the swelling pressure during the water injection. An external LVDT was used to measure any potential axial deformation between the piston and the load cell.

Experimental setup for High temperature swelling pressure test.