An Artificial Material for Simulating Champlain Clays

As part of an investigation on the behavior of Champlain clays, full scale penetrometer and vane tests had to be performed in the laboratory to observe the behavior of the soil during such tests. Since it was impossible to obtain samples of the necessary size, it was decided to develop a synthetic material which would model the mechanical properties of the Champlain clays.Such a model material has been defined. It consists of a mixture of kaolinite, bentonite, cement, and water. It is first shown to have a stress–strain behavior identical to that of the clay in unconfined compression tests, provided it is aged for 16 days. It is also shown to simulate very well all other mechanical properties of the Champlain clays, and more particularly the peculiar shape of the failure envelope in effective stress as well as the preconsolidation pressure.This material has been used successfully for laboratory penetrometer tests. It can also be used for the installation of instruments in situ or for the analysis of any testing or sampling technique.