This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 3 of this Preprint.
Downloads
Authors
Abstract
The primary geotechnical concern of collapsible soils such as loess is their hydromechanical instability. During (re)wetting, metastable aggregates disintegrate leading soil to collapse under the applied load or self-weight. In situ chemical stabilisation, such as grouting, is a favoured option to improve the mechanical behaviour of soils; however, the low permeability of loess limits the application of permeation grouting in such deposits. Here a new approach is presented based on the injection of dilute suspensions of montmorillonite clay nanoparticles to improve mechanical behaviour of a low permeable loess. In addition to clay, the grouting behaviour of an ordinary cement material was also evaluated as a typically favoured soil stabiliser. Reconstituted specimens were also prepared by mixing dry clay or cement particles with soil at similar contents and curing time to allow a comparison with the grouting method. Results revealed that clay suspensions feature a high-mobility in the soil medium as well as a remarkable performance in reducing the collapse potential due to: (1) clay effective particle size (~ 0.25 um) that facilitates its mobility in soil, and (2) formation of strong, capillary-driven solid bridges that reinforce the interparticle bonds during post grouting evaporation. These results encourage the application of clay nanoparticles over cements for a sustainable, economical and eco-friendly grouting approach to improve the mechanical behaviour of low permeable collapsible soils.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.31223/X5588R
Subjects
Engineering, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Keywords
Collapsible soils; Soil improvement; Clay nanoparticles; Grouting; Solid bridges
Dates
Published: 2020-10-27 09:42
Older Versions
License
CC0 1.0 Universal - Public Domain Dedication
Additional Metadata
Conflict of interest statement:
None
Data Availability (Reason not available):
N/A
There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article.