Broadband Dielectric Characterization of Bentonite for Hydromechanical Monitoring

We report a method relying on a dielectric spectroscopy laboratory experimental setup and on a suitable electromagnetic model for the broadband characterization of compacted partly saturated bentonite under controlled boundary conditions. This work is a step in the development of a non destructive method with a view to the monitoring of the hydromechanical properties of clay materials such as bentonites used in civil engineering works such as nuclear waste repository closures.