Compacted silt anti-contamination barriers

This work studies the characteristics of the compacted silts that are used as anti-contamination barriers to isolate the permeable soil layers in which the main buildings of a nuclear plant were situated, whose purpose was to add a further barrier with a view to preventing contamination in the event of a leak from the buildings. An analysis is made of the properties most closely linked to the isolating capacity of the silt barrier: their mineralogical composition and the characteristics of the compacted material, especially as regards permeability, for the conditions in which the barrier was laid.