Salinity effects on cracking morphology and dynamics in 3-D desiccating clays

Saline conditions induce not only chemical but physical changes in swelling clays, and have a significant influence on the crack dynamics and morphology of desiccating clays. In this study, we used X-ray microtomography to experimentally investigate the effects of sodium chloride on the morphology and dynamics of desiccation cracks in three-dimensional mixtures of sand-bentonite slurry under varying rheological conditions. Rectangular glass containers were packed with slurries of different salt concentrations, with the top boundary exposed to air for evaporation. The growth and propagation of the cracking network that subsequently formed was visualized in 3-D at multiple intervals. The characterization of cracking and branching behavior shows a high extent of localized surficial crack networks at low salinity, with a transition to less extensive but more centralized crack networks with increased salinity. The observed behavior was described in the context of the physicochemical properties of the montmorillonite clay, where shifts from an entangled (large platelet spacing, small pore structure) to a stacked (small platelet spacing, open pore structure) network influence fluid distribution and thus extent of cracking and branching behavior. This is further corroborated by vertical profiles of water distribution, which shows localized desiccation fronts that shift to uniform desaturation with increasing salt concentration. Our results provide new insights regarding the formation, dynamics, and patterns of desiccation cracks formed during evaporation from 3-D saline clay structures, which will be useful in hydrological applications including water management, land surface evaporation, and subsurface contaminant transport.