Development of a new experimental device in order to improve swelling-shrinkage analysis of clavey soils

The swelling-shrinkage of natural clayey soils was analyzed at the microscopic level, in an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM). They were subjected to several wetting-drying cycles with a new experimental device (patent n° 10-54771). It allows measuring simultaneously the surface strain evolution and the water content according to the relative humidity. The relation between these two parameters was established. These results can be correlated to water content evolution profiles function with the depth performed in situ (Maison, 2010)