Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of polymer stabilizer on swelling potential and CBR of forest road material

  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Swelling behavior of some soils, especially soils with high clay content, has a great impact on forest roads. Moisture variation in expansive soils results in their volume change. If the soil can not swell freely, it will apply pressure to surrounding structures which may eventually cause some damage or complete destruction. Therefore, it is essential to assess the swelling potential of the foundation soils and take appropriate measures to overcome such problem. In the present study, the effects of RPP as a polymer stabilizer to control swelling of expansive soils were investigated. For this purpose, different tests including Atterberg Limits, standard compaction, swelling potential, and swelling pressure, were conducted on control and treated soil samples using different Percentage of Polymer (RPP) (0.019, 0.04 and 0.06%). Also California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests were conducted on control and treated samples based on manufacturer recommendation. To assess the effect of time on performance of polymer treated soil, samples with 0.019% RPP content were prepared and kept in sealed plastic bags for 7 and 14 days periods and then tested for Atterberg Limits, swelling potential and swelling pressure. The results showed that soil treatment with RPP, resulted in improvement of CBR and maximum dry density and reduction in Atterberg Limits, swelling potential and swelling pressure. The results also indicated that the curing 7–14 days periods had no significant effect on plasticity and swelling properties of the treated samples.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abadjieva, T. (2001). “Chemical stabilisation for low cost roads in Botswana.” p. 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Rawas, A., Hago, A. W., and Al-Sarmi, H. (2005). “Effect of lime, cement and Sarooj (artificial pozzolan) on the swelling potential of an expansive soil from Oman.” Building and Environment, Vol. 40, No. 5, pp. 681–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Society for Testing and Materials (1992). Annual book of ASTM standards, Vol. 04.08, Philadelphia, PA. p. 180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anandarajah, A. and Zhao, D. (2000). “Triaxial behavior of kaolinite in different pore fluids.” Journal of Geotechnical and GeoEnvironmental Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 126, No. 2, pp. 148–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anson, R. W. and Hawkins, A. B. (1998). “The effect of calcium ions in pore water on the residual shear strength of kaolinite and sodium montmorillonite.” Géotechnique, Vol. 48, No. 6, pp.787–800.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Azzam, W. R. (2012). “Reduction of the shrinkage-swelling potential with polymer nanocomposite stabilization.” Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 123, No. 1, pp. 299–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell, F. G. (1993). Engineering treatment of soils, published by E and FN Spon, an imprint of Chapmen and Hall, Boundary Row, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, F. G. (1996). “Lime stabilization of clay minerals and soils”. Engineering Geology, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 223–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandon, T. L., Brown, J. J., Daniels, W. L., DeFazio, T. L., Filz, G. M., Mitchell, J. K., Musselman, J., and Forsha, C. (2009). “Rapid stabilization/polymerization of wet clay soils.” Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, p. 195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cai, Y., Shi, B., and Tang, C. (2006). “Effect of polypropylene fibre and lime admixture on engineering properties of clayey soil.” Engineering Geology, Vol. 87, No. 3, pp. 230–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinani, B. S. (2000). Determination of optimum lime percent for forest road soils stabilization and treat in Namkhanehý, MSc Thesis, Natural Resources Department, University of Tehran, Iran, pp. 125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ebrahimi, A., Edil, T., and Son, Y. (2012). “Effectiveness of cement kiln dust in stabilizing recycled base materials.” American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 24, No. 8, pp. 1059–1066.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairbrother, S. (2011). “Estimating forest road aggregate strength by measuring fundamental aggregate properties.” 34th Council on Forest Engineering, Quebec, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faisal, A. (2012). “Stabilization of residual soils using liquid chemical.” The Electronic Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 17, pp. 115–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaspard, K., Mohammad, L., and Wu, Z. (2003). “Laboratory mechanistic evaluation of soil-cement mixtures with fibrillated polypropylene fibers.” 82th Annual Meeting, Transport Research Board, Washington, D.C., TRB 2003 Annual Meeting CD-ROM, p. 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gourly, C. S., Newill, D., and Schreiner, H. D. (1993). “Expansive soils: TRL’s research strategy.” First International Symposium on Engineering Characteristics of Arid Soils, City University, London, England, 5–8 July, p. 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gu, B. and Doner, H. E. (1993). “Dispersion and aggregation of soils as influenced by organic and inorganic polymers.” Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 57, No. 3, pp. 709–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guney, Y., Sari, D., Cetin, M., and Tuncan, M. (2005). “Impact of cyclic wetting-drying on swelling behavior of lime-stabilized soil.” Journal of Building and Environment, Vol. 63, No. 55, pp. 681–688.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, W. J., Shang, Q. S., Liu, S. T., Zhao, Z. Z., Fan, Z. J., Gao, X., Chang, Y., Zhang, Y., and Ou, Q. (2007). “The application technology of roadpacker solidified limestone soil.” International Conference on Transportation Engineering 2007, Chengdu, China, pp. 692–697.

    Google Scholar 

  • Inyang, H. I., Bae, S., Mbamalu, G., and Park, S. W. (2007). “Aqueous polymer effects on volumetric swelling of na-montmorillonite.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 84–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. E. J. and Holtz, W. G. (1973). “Expansive soils - The hidden disaster.” Civil Engineering — ASCE, American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. 43, No. 8, pp. 49–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalkan, E. and Akbulut, S. (2004). “The positive effects of silica fume on the permeability, swelling pressure and compressive strength of natural clay liners.” Engineering Geology, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 145–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaniraj, S. R. and Havangi, V. G. (2001). “Behaviour of cement stabilized fiber-reinforced fly ash-soil mixtures.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 127, No. 7, pp. 574–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kavak, A., Bilgen, G., and Mutman1, U. (2010). “In-situ modification of a road material using a special polymer.” Scientific Research and Essays, Vol. 5, No. 7, pp. 2547–2555.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolias, S., Kasselouri, R. V., and Karahalios, A. (2005). “Stabilization of clayey soilswith high calcium fly ash and cement.” Journal of Cement and Concrete Composites, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 301–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Shi, B., Jiang, H., Bae, S., and Huang, H. (2009). “Improvement of water stability of clay aggregates admixed with aqueous polymer soil stabilizers.” Catena, Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 175–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manikandan, R. and Ramamurthy, K. (2009). “Swelling characteristic of bentonite on pelletization and properties of fly ash aggregates.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, Vol. 21, No. 10, pp. 578–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maio, C. (1996). “The influence of pore fluid composition on the residual shear strength of some natural clayey soils.” 7th Int. Symp. on Landslides, Trondheim. Norway, Vol. 2, pp.1189-1194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, G. and Azad, S. (2000). “Influence of soil type on stabilization with cement kiln dust.” Construction and Building Materials, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 89–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirzababaei, M., Yasrobi, S., and Al-Rawas, A. (2009). “Effect of polymers on swelling potential of expansive soils.” Proceedings of the ICE — Ground Improvement, Vol. 162, No. 3, pp. 111–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, J. K. (1993). Fundamentals of soil behavior, 2nd Ed., Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, J. D. and Miller, D. J. (1992). Expansive soils: Problems and practice in foundation and pavement engineering, Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phanikumar, B. R. and Sharma, R. S. (2004). “Effect of fly ash on engineering properties of expansive soils.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 130, No. 7, pp. 764–767.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prabakar, J., Dendorkar, N., and Morchhale, K. (2004). “Influence of fly ash on strength behavior of typical soils.” Construct Build Mater., Vol. 18, No. 4, pp. 263–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Primusz, P., Peterfalvi, J., Koaztka, M., and Marko, G. (2009). “Bearing capacity of lime-stabilized soils. Forest constructions in the country and their recreational use.” Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference. 1. Vyd. Zvolen: Katedra Lesníckych Stavieb a Melioracií, Zvolene, pp. 96–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prusinski, J. R. and Bhattacharja, S. (1999). “Effectiveness of portland cement and lime in stabilizing clay soils.” Transportation Research Record, Vol. 1652, No. 1, pp. 215–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punthutaecha, K., Puppala, J., Vanapalli, K., and Inyang, H. (2006). “Volume change behaviorsof expansive soils stabilized with recycled ashes and fibers.” Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 295–306.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rafalko, S. D., Brandon, T. L., Filz, G. M., and Mitchell, J. K. (2008). “Rapid chemical stabilization of soft clay soils.” Journal of the Transportation Research Board., Vol. 2026, No. 1, pp. 39–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao, M. R., Rao, A. S., and Babu, R. D. (2008a). “Efficacy of limestabilized fly ash in expansive soils.” Ground Improvement, Vol. 161, No. 1, pp. 23–29.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, M. R., Rao, A. S., and Babu, R. D. (2008b). “Efficacy of cement-stabilized fly ash cushion in arresting heave of expansive soils.” Geotechnical & Geological Engineering, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 189–197.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Rauch, A. F., Harmon, J. S., Katz, I., and Liljestrand, H. M. (2001). “Liquid soil stabilizer: Measured effects on engineering properties of clay.” 81 th Annual Transportation Board Meeting, Washington, D.C., Vol. 1787, No. 01, pp. 33–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schenning, J. A. (2004). Hydraulic performance of polymer modified bentonite, Msc Thesis, University of South Florida, USA, pp. 129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scholen, D. E. (1995). “Stabilizer mechanisms in nonstandard stabilizers.” Proceedings of the 6 th International Conference on Low-Volume Road, June 25–29, Washington, D.C., pp. 252–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaviv, A., Ravina, I., and Zaslavsky, D. (1987). “Application of soil conditioner solutions to soil columns to increase water-stability of aggregates.” Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 431–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shirsavkar, S. S. and Koranne, S. (2010). “Innovation in road construction using natural polymer.” Bund, EJGE, Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 1614–1624.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirivitmaitrie, C., Puppala, A., Chikyala, V., Saride, S., and Hoyos, L. (2008). “Combined lime and cement treatment of expansive soils with low to medium soluble sulfate levels.” American Society of Civil Engineers, Proceedings of the GeoCongress, New Orleans, Louisiana, pp. 646–653.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, C., Shi, B. Gao., W. Chen., F., and Cai, Y. (2007). “Strength and mechanical behaviour of short polypropylene fiber reinforced and cement stabilized clay soil. Geotext.” Geomembr., Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 194–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thyagaraj, T., Rao, S. M., Suresh, P. S., and Salini, U. (2012). “Laboratory studies on stabilization of an expansive soil by lime precipitation technique.” Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 24, No. 8, pp. 1067–1075.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tingle, J. S. and Santoni, R. L. (2003). “Stabilization of clay soils with nontraditional additives.” Transportation Research Record, Vol. 1819, pp. 72–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vyas, S., Phougat, N., Sharma, P., and Ratnam, M. (2011). “Stabilization of dispersive soil by blending polymers.” International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 6, pp. 42–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, A. A. and Donaldson, G. (1980). “Building on expansive soils in South Africa.” Proc. of the 4th Int. Conf. on Expansive Soils. Denver, Vol. 2, pp. 834–838.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J. R. and Cao, X. (2002). “Stabilization of expansive soil by lime and fly ash.” Journal of Wuhan University of Technology-Materials, Vol. 17, No. 4, pp. 73–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Forestry, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Fatemeh Mousavi

  2. Dept. of Forestry, University of Tehran, P.O.BOX 31585 4314, Karaj, Iran

    Ehsan Abdi

  3. Dept. of Irrigation and Reclamation Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

    Hassan Rahimi

Authors
  1. Fatemeh Mousavi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ehsan Abdi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hassan Rahimi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ehsan Abdi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mousavi, F., Abdi, E. & Rahimi, H. Effect of polymer stabilizer on swelling potential and CBR of forest road material. KSCE J Civ Eng 18, 2064–2071 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-014-0137-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-014-0137-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation