Compaction of montmorillonite in ultra-dry state

The current study discovers that uniaxial compression under ambient condition can directly cause strong bonding in ultra-dry montmorillonite, which is attributed to the secondary molecular interaction other than hydrogen bonding. The strength of so-processed material is sensitive to the lateral confinement condition of loading. Similar compaction pressure produces equally strong solids between quasi-static and impact loading modes. Gas permeability of the compacted solids is comparable to those of dense rocks. These findings shed light on the study of Martian regolith and in-situ resource utilization.