Abstract
To evaluate the long-term service performance of subgrade with high-liquid-limit soil improved by lignin, a drying-wetting cycle test was carried out for the improved soil with 3% lignin content, and comparison was made with quicklime-improved soil with the same properties in terms of pH, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), appearance, and volume stability. Using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the microscopic characteristics of the lignin-improved soil were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. By analyzing the evolution law of the soil microstructure and pores under the action of drying-wetting cycles, the strength degradation mechanism of the improved soil was discussed at the microscopic level. The test results showed that the soil pH value of the lignin-improved soil was more beneficial to the ecological environment compared with that of the quicklime-improved soil. Furthermore, the stability of the lignin-improved soil was better than that of the quicklime-improved soil due to strength loss and increased volume expansion rate caused by the drying-wetting cycles. In terms of the microstructure, the cementing materials enhanced the agglomeration of the soil by wrapping grains and filling pores. Under the action of drying and wetting, the number of pores inside the soil increased, and the soil structure loosened. Under drying and wetting conditions, the strength degradation of the lignin-improved soil was the result of the interaction of pore development and cementing materials dissolution.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Key Research and Development Project of Shandong (No. 2020CXGC011404), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (No. 2019M652302), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52009075).
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Wang, G., Kong, X., Zhang, Y. et al. Stability and Micro-mechanisms of Lignin-Improved Soil in a Drying-Wetting Environment. KSCE J Civ Eng 26, 3314–3324 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-022-1342-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-022-1342-4