Fractal analysis of temperature-induced cracking in clays and rocks Available to Purchase

Because of their low hydraulic conductivity, clays have been used as a hydraulic barrier to the flow of rainwater into landfills. Similarly, rocks have been used as depository sites for nuclear waste. High temperatures resulting from climatic fluctuations, for clays, or from heat generated by nuclear waste, for rocks, can have detrimental effects on their hydro-mechanical properties, causing cracking. In clays this is the result of desiccation; in rocks it is the result of varying expansion between mineral grains. The present study deals with the evolution and interconnectivity of cracks in clays and rocks as a result of high temperatures, evaluated using the fractal dimension concept.