The swelling clays have been proposed as engineered barriers in geological disposal systems for waste because these materials are assumed to build a better impermeable zone around wastes by swelling. However, the swelling potential of soils is also considered a prevalent cause of damage to buildings and constructions. For these reasons, it is fundamental to investigate the physicochemical and mechanical behavior of swelling clays. In the current study, the swelling-shrinkage potential (aggregates scale) was estimated using an environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) coupled with of digital image analysis (DIA) program (Visilog). In fact, the isolated aggregates of raw and cation-exchanged bentonite were directly observed at different relative humidities in an ESEM chamber. Then the "Visilog" software was used to estimate the percent augmentation of the aggregate surface as a function of time and as a function of relative humidity. This estimation allows for the calculation of the swelling-shrinkage potential (%) of bentonite. Finally, a kinetic model of first order was tested to fit the kinetic experimental data of swelling-shrinkage potential. The results show that ESEM-DIA coupling can be a powerful method of estimating the swelling-shrinkage potential of expansive clays. In addition, the exponential models fit well with the kinetic experimental data. (c) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.