New experimental tools for the characterization of highly overconsolidated clayey materials in unsaturated conditions

This chapter presents some of the experimental facilities that have recently been developed at the EPFL Soil Mechanics Group. Three apparatuses operating in non-isothermal conditions are described in detail: a sorption bench for determining water retention curves, an oedometric cell for analyzing volumetric responses under high vertical loads, and a triaxial cell designed for extreme loading conditions.