Science/Medicine : Nuclear Waste Sealer Tested

Scientists made three-dimensional sculptures of microscopic cracks in rocks by injecting liquid metal into limestone, a new tool for designing leakproof nuclear waste dumps and quake-resistant building materials.

“This research could help in stopping and suppressing fractures in the walls of underground excavations like nuclear waste repositories, where these cracks allow the leaking of nuclear waste,” mineral engineer Ziqiong Zheng said.

Learning how rocks crack under pressure can help engineers design better reinforcement to prevent such leakage, protect buildings from quake damage and avoid the collapse of oil well drill holes, mines and tunnels, Zheng, a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley, said during the American Geophysical Union’s fall meeting.