In the deep disposal of nuclear waste, the highly compacted bentonite was used as buffer material. The evaluation of its permeability is very important. The unsaturated permeability of bentonite in con- fined condition was measured in the key laboratory of Tongji University in China. The relative humidity was measured in the permeability test of Gaomiaozi(GMZ) Bentonite. To find the microstructure change in the hydration process, several Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry(MIP) tests and Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) tests have been conducted. The soil-water characteristic curves of the Gaomiaozi Bentonite were also measured by the osmotic technique and vapor technique. The hydro-mechanical behavior of GMZ bentonite was simulated with the software Code_bright. The numerical results agreed well with the measured results. Conclusions can be done that the microstructure greatly influences the unsaturated permeability of Gaomiaozi Bentonite and the saturation process of GMZ bentonite can be well simulated by the software Code_Bright.
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