Third Party Funds Group - Sub project
Acronym: NORTH-CLAYS
Start date : 17.10.2022
End date : 30.04.2023
Website: https://excite-network.eu/access/contact/
Quick-clays display extreme reductions of shear strength from an undisturbed to a remoulded
state, leading often to destructive landslides. These mixtures of clay and silt typically feature particles with
sizes of few microns. This poses a challenge for their accurate image acquisition and sizing using
conventional means. In recent years, the imaging hardware, as well as open-source algorithms have
become more available for the characterisation of complex, three-dimensional particles. Particle shape is
a key parameter in the interlocking of granular media, to trace the micromechanical origins of the onset
of quick-clay slope failures. This project aims to capture, characterise and classify quick-clay particles at
the micron scale using nano X-ray Computed Tomography. Samples of various particle size ranges will be
imaged for dry and wet conditions, aiming to provide a dataset of open-access morphological information
of quick-clay particles, which are currently missing from the public domain.