INVESTIGATION OF THE BASIC QUALITATIVE PROPERTIES OF THE DASHSALAHLI DEPOSIT OF BENTONITE CLAYS

The conducted investigations showed that the total capacity of exchangeable cations of Dashsalahli bentonite clays ranges from 55 to 166 mg/ 100 g. The contents of exchangeable sodium cations vary from 22 to 65.2 mg. eq / 100 g in them; on average 43.2mg eq/100g and granulometric composition of clay in all sites are identical and refer to fine-dispersed. It was established that, bentonite clays of different areas in Dashsalahli deposit have unequal swelling in water, caused to a great extent by granulometric composition of the original rocks: the larger the fine-dispersed fraction, the higher the swelling or vice versa. This pattern is observed in all areas of the deposit. It has been determined that, high swelling has alkaline bentonites in the water environment. These differences of bentonites are able to absorb more than tenfold amount of water, while increasing in volume more than 15-20 times against the original. Water penetrates to the primary particles of bentonite through the capillaries and around them forms water shells that wedge the particles. As a consequence, a strong increase in the total volume of clay occurs.