Interpretation of the Upper Plastic Limit of Clays

Low-swelling smectite in a recent marine mud of Ariake Bay

“…The specific viscosity was remarkably increased by saturation with Na, similar to Gunma bentonite in which the specific viscosity was 0.285 and 0.117 for the Na-clay and Ca-clay, respectively, at a 0.5% clay concentration (2). On the other hand, the (10) introduced the concept of an interaction volume for interpreting the influence on the liquid limit of such factors as the exchangeable ion, salt concentration and pH of clay paste. The interaction volume is determined by interparticle forces, repulsion and attraction, and the particle arrangement (10) and can be measured as the sediment volume (1 1).…”

“…Sodium-montmorillonite exhibits considerable intra-crystalline swelling. The liquid limit of Na-montmorillonite is then greater than that of Ca-montmorillonite (10,12) and increases remarkably with decreasing NaCl concentration (10).…”

Changes in Sediment Volume, Liquid Limit, and Plastic Limit of Alluvial Soils upon Drying

“…In a similar way as suggested for the swelling of calcium montmorillonite and calcium illite in dilute calcium chloride solution (13,14), a considerable portion of water held within these pores would be "simply enmeshed" (13,14) within a gel-like structure or framework rather than be retained physicochemically on soil particles. W ARKENTIN (15) showed that the liquid limit of calcium montmoriIIonite did not decrease appreciably with increasing salt concentration, and suggested that in such a system the liquid limit is determined by the structure or particle arrangement. ' Since calcium ion is considered to be the predominant exchangeable cation in the soils used in the present study, it may be stated that the structure or particle arrangement controls the pore volume of the disturbed soil-water systems, and accordingly governs the water content at which the systems exhibit the specified physical behavior.…”

Relationship of the sediment volume of soil clays to surface area and mineralogical composition

“…It is convenient to utilize the concept of an interaction volume in the study of particle interactions. The interaction volume is determined by the interparticle force, repulsion and attraction, and the particle arrangement ( 4,5). It was introduced by WARKENTIN (4) with success for interpreting the influence on the liquid limit of such factors as the exchangeable cation, salt concentration, and pH of clay paste.…”