THE EFFECT OF MOISTURE ON THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPACTED EXFOLIATED VERMICULITE

Vermiculite refers to a small group of minerals resembling the lamella structure of the micas. Its can exfoliated chemically or thermally. Exfoliated vermiculite may be compressed and used in expanding gaskets; seals… The mechanical properties of compacted exfoliated vermiculite (CEV) strongly depend on the moisture. In this paper, the mechanical property of CEV is investigated by compression test, performed on samples under different levels of relative moisture. The compression tests are performed on samples respectively in longitudinal and transverse directions with respect to compaction axis. When comparing the mechanical property of CEV between longitudinal and transverse directions, an anisotropic behaviour is found in elastic modulus. As the relative moisture increases, the elastic modulus, failure stress and elastic recovery decrease.