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.