Experimental Study on Geomaterial’s Moisture Content Distribution and Deformation During Drying Process

Abstract

Knowledge of the drying process of geomaterials is meaningful and helpful in the field of geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering. This experimental study focuses on drying tests on geomaterial samples with monitored surface moisture contents and controlled environmental conditions. Using the digital image correlation (DIC) method to analyze the sample’s displacement, the 3D displacement plots and volumetric strain maps are obtained after calculation. By combining the monitored moisture content with analyzed displacement and volumetric strain plots, the phenomenon and characteristics of a geomaterial’s drying process are discussed and concluded. This study offers a better understanding of the deformation of geomaterials during the drying process in 3D.