Complementary Wave-Based Characterizations of Sedimentation Processes

Abstract

In this paper, the sedimentation behavior of two kaolinite samples with distinct fabric associations is characterized using mechanical and electromagnetic wave-based techniques. The two different fabric formations, the edge-to-face (EF) flocculated structure (i.e., Sample A) and the dispersed and deflocculated structure (i.e., Sample B), were produced by changing the pH of the pore fluid. The anisotropy of the shear-wave velocity and DC conductivity was not observed in the sediment of Sample A because of EF isotropic fabric associations, but it was detected in Sample B as a result of face-to-face aggregation. An open card-house structure of the Sample A sediment results in a higher relaxation strength of the bulk water,