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Water Retention Properties and Microstructure of Compacted Expanded Perlite

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Unsaturated Soils: Research and Applications

Abstract

A double porosity structure is recognized in compacted expanded perlite, a granular material made from crushed perlite rock subjected to heating treatment. Due to its generation process, each grain has a micro-scale porosity network and a series of closed pores (isolated holes), while particle size distribution is highly uniform. An experimental investigation combining water retention tests and mercury intrusion porosimetry is presented. The results allowed for a detailed description of the double porosity system and retention properties and may represent a basis for a future contribution on hydraulic and mechanical aspects of the behaviour of double porosity materials.

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Correspondence to Marco Caruso .

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Caruso, M., Sterpi, D. (2012). Water Retention Properties and Microstructure of Compacted Expanded Perlite. In: Mancuso, C., Jommi, C., D’Onza, F. (eds) Unsaturated Soils: Research and Applications. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31116-1_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31116-1_26

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-31115-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-31116-1

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

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