Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 July 2018
An expert system has been designed for the structural characterization of disordered phyllosilicates as well as the mixed-layer minerals and the minerals containing stacking faults or isomorphic substitutions. X-ray diffraction being the simplest tool for structural characterization, the expert system uses such data but can account for data provided by any characterization technique (infrared spectroscopy, EXAFS, etc.). The expert system aims to summarize in a unique set the different approaches of the structural characterization using diagrams or tables which have been proposed, avoiding the requirement of the knowledge of their application field and excluding calculations. It runs in an interactive way, to mimic the way a human expert would draw its conclusions.