Characterization of the tensile behaviour of argillaceous soils for the barriers of waste disposal facilities

Compacted clay beds are traditionally used for the covering of radioactive waste repositories. Their implementation is a delicate task which requires to take into consideration the type of waste and the environment properties: climate, hydrology, topography and sociology. Several works have been performed on the mechanical behaviour of such soils with respect to their elastic or compression rupture properties. However, their sensibility with respect to the cracking generated by an hydric change or by a flexural strength (differential compaction of the wastes) remains badly known. The aim of this work is to propose a laboratory test for the characterization of the suitability of these materials with respect to their tensile extensibility. This test has been performed on two types of argillaceous materials. The document is structured as follows: after a synthesis of the main causes of alteration of cover materials, a characterization of two natural fine soils which could be used as cover material is presented. Their tensile properties is analyzed, in particular their deformation during cracking and rupture. Different direct or indirect tensile tests are analyzed in order to define a simple test for the characterization of the tensile properties of soils. The influence of the compacting mode on the cracking and rupture is also studied. Finally, a real scale experiment simulating the bending of an argillaceous cover above a cavity has been performed in-situ. The results are compared with those obtained at the laboratory in order to validate the choices proposed for an application to waste repository covers. (J.S.)