SPECKLE-PHOTOGRAPHY STUDY OF NUCLEAR-WASTE VAULT DEFORMATIONS

White-light speckle photography was applied to measure the viscoplasti c deformation of a proposed nuclear-waste repository, The repository v aults are carved into bedded salt deep in the earth, and deform extrem ely slowly. The research demonstrates the feasibility of using whole-f ield techniques to detect mine wall strains, confirms certain, but not all, measurements of point-by-point instruments, and also confirms th e predictions of a site-specific numerical model.