Longevity of Borehole and Shaft Sealing Materials: Characterization of Ancient Cement Based Building Materials

Abstract

Durability and long-term stability of cements in plasters, mortars, and/or concretes utilized as borehole plugging and shaft sealing materials are of present concern in the national effort to isolate nuclear waste within deep geological repositories. The present study consists of an examination of selected ancient building materials and provides insights into the durability of certain ancient structures. These data were combined with knowledge obtained from the behavior of modern portland cements and natural materials to evaluate the potential for longevity of such materials in a borehole environment. Analyses were conducted by petrographic, SEM, chemical, and x-ray diffraction techniques.