Impermeable bentonite or its mixtures have been proposed as candidate materials to be used in the geotechnical disposal of radioactive nuclear waste. These materials are filled in the space between a canister containing radioactive nuclear waste and an underground chamber to absorb the radionuclide emitting from the canister and simultaneously retard its migration accompanying the permeation of underground water to prevent the surrounding environment from pollution. On the basis of the established elastoplastic strain-hardening mechanical model considering the material's dilatancy character, the authors carry out the stress-strain analysis of a thick-wall cylinder in a plane strain state subjected to a pressure difference between internal and external pressures. The analysis may be expected to be a theoretical basis for developing a coupled shear and permeability test apparatus for conducting a permeability test along a sheared plane in a specimen. The apparatus will be used to study the effects of shear strain on the variation of geotechnical materials′ permeability coefficient in order to evaluate the influence of shear strain caused by nonuniform deformation and/or earthquake on the long-term safety of the disposal system of radioactive nuclear waste. The theoretical analysis methods in this paper can be directly spread to the analysis of the deformation and stability of tunnels or roadways driven in soft soils or high moisture-bearing soft rocks.
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