Infiltration column for studying the lateral swell behavior of expansive clay

Infiltration column is usually used to investigate the hydro-mechanical processes in unsaturated expansive clay. In this test, the moisture transfer is often monitored along the column during water infiltration using suction or water content probes. Nevertheless, the lateral swelling pressure developed is rarely considered. This paper describes an infiltration column for studying the lateral swell behavior of expansive clay. The column consists of a rigid cell ensuring the constant-volume condition and a hydraulic system enabling the water intake of the hosted sample. It is equipped with three types of sensors: pressure sensors, force transducers, and displacement transducers to, respectively, monitor the radial and axial swelling pressure of the sample at different positions and to check whether any axial displacement is taking place. A detailed description of the different parts of the cell is first presented. Second, analysis on the results of a test on a compacted bentonite/sand mixture allows the pertinence of such a device to be evaluated.