CERMES

MINERALOGIE, CONSTITUTION ET
CARACTERISATION DES SOLS FINS

Pierre DELAGE
ENPC – Navier/CERMES
 Effets de structure

Argiles sensibles
(Canada,
Scandinavie)
St = cu intact/cu remanié

20 < St < 1000

Glissement de St Jean-Vianney, Québec, 1971, 31 victimes

http://bilan.usherbrooke.ca/bilan/pages/evenements/2321.html
 flowslides, 37% spreads and the rest 5% was other types
or unidentified. The next sections describe these two main
types of
Glissement landslide and their failure mechanism and give
rétrogressif

examples of rare cases where mixed or other types have

occurred.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of flowslide in Eastern

Canada sensitive clays. Attaque depuis la rivière

Locat et al. 2014

 directions, as se
on Fig. 4, some
Figure 1: Schematic representation of flowslide in Eastern direction of re
Canada sensitive clays. compiled by D
Notre Dame de la Sallette (2010, LiDAR) distance varies
between 50 an
retrogression dis
The tragically fa
in 1971 at Saint-
first landslide ca
retrogressive pro
et al. 2001).
Detailed inve
(Demers et al. 2
surfaces can be
flowing near the
happen that a n
higher elevation
base with mult
Notre-Dame-de-L
shows the step p
of the base of the
Flowslides
Demers et al. 2014 oc
Figure 2: LiDAR hillshades of the flowslide at Notre-Dame content, of consi
de la Salette in 2010 (Demers et al. 2014). typical of easte
geotechnical pr
Argile du Golfe de Guinée (prof. 1300 m)
Argile du Golfe de Guinée (prof. 1300 m)
Recharge en limon

Noyau argileux
imperméable
Rupture par érosion interne (1974)
 Stockage profond des déchets
radioactifs: argilite

Profondeur 490 m
Argilite du Callovo-
oxfordien

Andra 2005
TGV Nord
Loess de Picardie

Delage et al. 2005

Effondrement du Loess (pluie)
 Différents types de sols
• Granulométrie
Sédimentométrie Tamisage

Sable Sable Gravier Caillou

Argile Limon fin
2µm 20 µm 200 µm 2 mm 20 mm

Sols fins
Faible perméabilité
Plasticité
 Caractérisation des sols fins
• Limites d’Atterberg
Limite de Limite de
plasticité liquidité Teneur en eau
wp wL
Etat solide Etat plastique Etat liquide

Indice de plasticité
Quantité d’eau nécessaire pour faire passer
de l’état solide à l’état liquide
Interaction eau-argile
 Qu’est ce qu’une argile?
• Silicate d’alumine hydratée
• Le plus souvent sous forme de plaquette
 Couche élémentaires
Oxygène

Tétraédrique: Si, O--

Silicium

Octaédrique: Mg ou
Al etc… et OH-
OH-
Al ou Mg,…

D’après Mitchell 1976

 Feuillet de Kaolinite: 1 tétra + 1 octa

7 Å= 0,7 nm

Des OH- par des O--

+ + Plaquettes chargées négativement

2- INTERACTION
~1 Å Dipôle électrique
Molécule d’eau
Mitchell 1976
Plaquette de kaolinite

Liaison hydrogène forte

o o O-HO
o

Stabilité des plaquettes

d’après Mitchell 1976

Kaolinite

Microcopie électronique
à balayage

Tovey 1971 in Mitchell 1976

7,5 µm
 Montmorillonite: 1 octa + 2 tétra

9.6 Å= 0.96 nm

cations échangeables (Ca++, Na+ pour compenser le déficit)

Molécules d’eau autour des cations: hydratation;

PLAQUETTES INSTABLES: GONFLEMENT INTERFOLIAIRE
Montmorillonite

Microcopie électronique
à balayage
7,5 µm Tovey 1971 in Mitchell 1976
 a 38
.
b 39
.
c 40
.
d 41
.

Compression d’une
montmorillonite

Microcopie électronique
Fig. 13. Hydration mechanisms in a compacted MX80

à balayage

Tessier 1990
Fig. 11. SEM photos of Na++ montmorillonite suspensions submitted to various
suctions (w = 369% under a suction s = 3.2 kPa, w = 114% under s = 100 kPa
and w = 82% under s = 1 MPa).29
 Montmorillonite

Microcopie électronique à transmission Tessier 1990

 Illite: 1 octa + 2 tétra, lien K+

9.6 Å= 0.96 nm

Assemblage fixe, plaquette stable

mica analogue (muscovite)
K+ : Liaison stable

d’après Mitchell 1976

Illite

Microcopie électronique
à balayage
7,5 µm Tovey 1971 in Mitchell 1976

Tovey 1971 in Mitchell 1976

 Identification des argiles
• Diffractométrie aux rayons X: sur boue
d’argile étalée sur une lame mince qui tourne

d’après Mitchell 1976

Spectre diffractométrique
Argile de Romainville
Naturel

Glycolé

Chauffé
 Interactions eau-argile
Ip = 6 Ip = 20 Ip = 120

Limite de Limite de
plasticité liquidité Teneur en eau
wp wL
Etat solide Etat plastique Etat liquide

Indice de plasticité
Quantité d’eau nécessaire pour faire passer
de l’état solide à l’état liquide
Interactions eau-argile: théorie de la double
couche diffuse

Distribution des anions et cations à proximité de la plaquette

d’après Mitchell 1976
 Théorie de la double couche
Bilan des interactions fonction de la distance: distribution de la
concentration des cations

« Epaisseur » de la double couche

Effets des sels sur l’épaisseur

d’après Mitchell 1976

répulsion
Sensible à la concentration,
valence, permittivité,pH

attraction
Van der Waals: insensible

répulsion

dispersion (peu de sel)

attraction

Flocculation
(beaucoup de sel)

d’après Mitchell 1976

 Autres
phénomènes
d’adsorption

d’après Mitchell 1976

AUTRES PHENOMENES D’ADSORPTION
 SATURATED INTRA-AGGREGATES
SWELLING MECHANISMS
Saiyouri, Hicher & Tessier (2000), using Pons et al. (1981)

• X ray scattering at low angles

• Probabilistic analysis

Interlayer distances as a
function of decreased suction
The nW hydration of compacted MX80 (Na+)

ETAT SEC
Distance inter-
basale = 9.6 Å
= 0.96 nm

Sayiouri, Tessier and Hicher (2004)

 !"# !$#

0 days of the looser and wetter sample, e 0.998 and w 28.5% (picture width is 40 !m) at

The nW hydration of compacted MX80 (Na+)

<=
Fig. 12 Hydration mechanisms
678+9 B+/"2*)' Tetrahedral sheet
9.6 Å

%>*)"?*+&5'-"1@*A+9
in MX80 (after Saiyouri et al. 30 Octahedral sheet
2004) investigated through
:= <+/"2*)' 18.6 Å Tetrahedral sheet
X-Ray diffractometry
:+/"2*)'15.6 Å
4 layers
3 layers

distance (Å)
20
;+/"2*)
2 layers
18.6 Å
:! ;= 11 couche
layers ETAT SEC
15.6 Å
12.6 Å
12.6 Å
Distance inter-
Interlayer

10 basale = 9.6 Å
:;+9
= 0.96 nm
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
0
7 MPa
CD@-5(1A+EF" v
50 MPa

0.001 0.01 0.1

!"#
1 10 100 1000
Suction (MPa)
B==
GD0$*)+(4+'3**-'+H*)+H")-5@/*

een two layers of montmorillo- 350 sheets per platelet

1W
adsorbed at suctions larger than 50 MPa, two layers also depended on the nature of the cation considered. They
between 50 and 7 MPa, and three <== layers below 7 MPa, showed that different numbers of water layers (0, 1 or 2 W)
with a fourth layer adsorbed at low suctions smaller than could coexist at a given suctions above 30 MPa (relative
0.1 MPa. This mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 12. humidity—RH—smaller than 80 %). However, the aver-
Ferrage et al. (2005) worked :== on purified homoionic age trend that they observed was compatible with the data
yers above a 50SWy-1
kPa montmorillonites
suction, saturated with cations of different of Saiyouri et al. (2004). On a Na montmorillonite, mainly
ressively decreasing down to ? ?
valences (including Na , K and;== ??
Ca ). They observed one layer (1 W) was adsorbed at relative humidity smaller
layers at 3 MPa. Hence mechanisms
that hydration the were in fact more complex and than 60 % (suction of 70 MPa) with the transition between
heterogeneous,
om high suction is the result and confirmed that hydration mechanisms one and two layers occurring between 60 and 80 % RH
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
CD@-5(1A+EF" 123
of successive layers of water
!$# Sayiouri, Tessier and Hicher (2004)
spaces inside the particles
s into thinner ones that are Fig. 13. Effect of a suction decrease (hydration) on MX80
mber of stacked layers. particles: (a) increase in the number of adsorbed water layers;
(b) decrease in the number of stacked layers per particle
morphology inside aggregates
(Saiyouri et al., 1998)
 !"# !$#

0 days of the looser and wetter sample, e 0.998 and w 28.5% (picture width is 40 !m) at

The nW hydration of compacted MX80 (Na+)

<=
Fig. 12 Hydration mechanisms
678+9 B+/"2*)' Tetrahedral sheet
9.6 Å

%>*)"?*+&5'-"1@*A+9
in MX80 (after Saiyouri et al. 30 Octahedral sheet
2004) investigated through
:= <+/"2*)' 18.6 Å Tetrahedral sheet
X-Ray diffractometry
:+/"2*)'15.6 Å
4 layers
3 layers

distance (Å)
20
;+/"2*)
2 layers
18.6 Å
:! ;= 11 couche
layers
15.6 Å
12.6 Å
12.6 Å
Interlayer

10
:;+9
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
7 MPa 50 MPa
0 CD@-5(1A+EF"
0.001 0.01 0.1
!"#
1 10 100 1000
Suction (MPa)
B==
GD0$*)+(4+'3**-'+H*)+H")-5@/*

een two layers of montmorillo- 1W

adsorbed at suctions larger than 50 MPa, two layers also depended on the nature of the cation considered. They
between 50 and 7 MPa, and three <== layers below 7 MPa, showed that different 2W
numbers of water layers (0, 1 or 2 W)
with a fourth layer adsorbed at low suctions smaller than could coexist at a given suctions above 30 MPa (relative
0.1 MPa. This mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 12. humidity—RH—smaller than 80 %). However, the aver-
Ferrage et al. (2005) worked :== on purified homoionic age trend that they observed was compatible with the data
150 sheets per platelet
yers above a 50SWy-1
kPa montmorillonites
suction, saturated with cations of different of Saiyouri et al. (2004). On a Na montmorillonite, mainly
ressively decreasing down to ? ?
valences (including Na , K and;== ??
Ca ). They observed one layer (1 W) was adsorbed at relative humidity smaller
layers at 3 MPa. Hence mechanisms
that hydration the were in fact more complex and than 60 % (suction of 70 MPa) with the transition between
heterogeneous,
om high suction is the result and confirmed that hydration mechanisms one and two layers occurring between 60 and 80 % RH
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
CD@-5(1A+EF" 123
of successive layers of water
!$# Sayiouri, Tessier and Hicher (2004)
spaces inside the particles
s into thinner ones that are Fig. 13. Effect of a suction decrease (hydration) on MX80
mber of stacked layers. particles: (a) increase in the number of adsorbed water layers;
(b) decrease in the number of stacked layers per particle
morphology inside aggregates
(Saiyouri et al., 1998)
 !"# !$#

0 days of the looser and wetter sample, e 0.998 and w 28.5% (picture width is 40 !m) at

The nW hydration of compacted MX80 (Na+)

<=
Fig. 12 Hydration mechanisms
678+9 B+/"2*)' Tetrahedral sheet
9.6 Å

%>*)"?*+&5'-"1@*A+9
in MX80 (after Saiyouri et al. 30 Octahedral sheet
2004) investigated through
:= <+/"2*)' 18.6 Å Tetrahedral sheet
X-Ray diffractometry
:+/"2*)'15.6 Å
4 layers
3 layers

distance (Å)
20
;+/"2*)
2 layers
18.6 Å
:! ;= 11 couche
layers
15.6 Å
12.6 Å
12.6 Å
Interlayer

10
:;+9
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
73MPa
MPa 50 MPa
0 CD@-5(1A+EF"
0.001 0.01 0.1
!"#
1 10 100 1000
Suction (MPa)
B==
GD0$*)+(4+'3**-'+H*)+H")-5@/*

een two layers of montmorillo- 1W

adsorbed at suctions larger than 50 MPa, two layers also depended on the nature of the cation considered. They
between 50 and 7 MPa, and three <==layers below 7 MPa, showed that different 2W
numbers of water layers (0, 1 or 2 W)
with a fourth layer adsorbed at low suctions smaller than could coexist at a given suctions above 30 MPa (relative
0.1 MPa. This mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 12. humidity—RH—smaller than 80 %). However, the aver-
Ferrage et al. (2005) worked :==on purified homoionic age trend that they observed was compatible with the data
yers above a 50SWy-1
kPa montmorillonites
suction, saturated with cations of different of Saiyouri et al. (2004). On a Na montmorillonite, mainly
ressively decreasing down to ? ?
valences (including Na , K and;== ??
Ca ). They observed one layer (1 W) was adsorbed at relative humidity smaller
3W
layers at 3 MPa. Hence mechanisms
that hydration the were in fact more complex and than 60 % (suction of 70 MPa) with the transition between
10 sheets per platelet
om high suctionheterogeneous,
is the resultand confirmed that hydration mechanisms one and two layers occurring between 60 and 80 % RH
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
CD@-5(1A+EF" 123
of successive layers of water
!$# Sayiouri, Tessier and Hicher (2004)
spaces inside the particles
s into thinner ones that are Fig. 13. Effect of a suction decrease (hydration) on MX80
mber of stacked layers. particles: (a) increase in the number of adsorbed water layers;
(b) decrease in the number of stacked layers per particle
morphology inside aggregates
(Saiyouri et al., 1998)
 !"# !$#

0 days of the looser and wetter sample, e 0.998 and w 28.5% (picture width is 40 !m) at

The nW hydration of compacted MX80 (Na+)

<=
Fig. 12 Hydration mechanisms
678+9 B+/"2*)' Tetrahedral sheet
9.6 Å

%>*)"?*+&5'-"1@*A+9
in MX80 (after Saiyouri et al. 30 Octahedral sheet
2004) investigated through
:= <+/"2*)' 18.6 Å Tetrahedral sheet
X-Ray diffractometry
:+/"2*)'15.6 Å
4 layers
3 layers

distance (Å)
20
;+/"2*)
2 layers
18.6 Å
:! ;= 11 couche
layers
15.6 Å
12.6 Å
12.6 Å
Interlayer

10
:;+9
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
73MPa
MPa 50 MPa
0 CD@-5(1A+EF"
0.001 0.01 0.1
!"#
1 10 100 1000
Suction (MPa)
B==
GD0$*)+(4+'3**-'+H*)+H")-5@/*

een two layers of montmorillo- 1W

adsorbed at suctions larger than 50 MPa, two layers also depended on the nature of the cation considered. They
between 50 and 7 MPa, and three <==layers below 7 MPa, showed that different 2W
numbers of water layers (0, 1 or 2 W)
with a fourth layer adsorbed at low suctions smaller than could coexist at a given suctions above 30 MPa (relative
0.1 MPa. This mechanism is illustrated in Fig. 12. humidity—RH—smaller than 80 %). However, the aver-
Ferrage et al. (2005) worked :==on purified homoionic age trend that they observed was compatible with the data
yers above a 50SWy-1
kPa montmorillonites
suction,
ressively decreasing down to ?
saturated with cations of different
?
valences (including Na , K and;== ??
Ca ). They observed
of Saiyouri et al. (2004). On a Na montmorillonite, mainly
one layer (1 W) was adsorbed at relative humidity smaller
similar data
3W
layers at 3 MPa. Hence mechanisms
that hydration the were in fact more 4W
EXFOLIATION complex and than 60 % (suction of 70 MPa) with the transition between
om high suctionheterogeneous,
is the result 10 sheets
and confirmed that hydration per platelet
mechanisms one and two layers occurring between 60 and 80 % RH on other compacted bentonites
=
=7==; =7=; =7; ; ;= ;== ;===
CD@-5(1A+EF" 123
of successive layers of water
!$# Sayiouri, Tessier and Hicher (2004)
spaces inside the particles
s into thinner ones that are Fig. 13. Effect of a suction decrease (hydration) on MX80
mber of stacked layers. particles: (a) increase in the number of adsorbed water layers;
(b) decrease in the number of stacked layers per particle
morphology inside aggregates
(Saiyouri et al., 1998)