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Multiscale experimental analysis of marine clay stabilized with coal gangue–calcium carbide residue geopolymer

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Abstract

An eco-friendly way to improve the engineering properties of lower-strength soils becomes attractive. This study investigates the feasibility of two industrial by-products, i.e., coal gangue (CG) and calcium carbide residue (CCR), as a sustainable CG–CCR geopolymer binder for soil stabilization. The geomechanical properties, compressibility, and microstructure of marine clay stabilized using CG–CCR geopolymer with different content by mass from 0 to 30% are measured by conducting consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial compression tests, oedometer tests, X-ray diffraction, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. A new empirical model is proposed to predict the failure strength of stabilized soils. Results indicate that the CG–CCR geopolymer can enhance the geomechanical properties of marine clay. Increasing the geopolymer content to 15% transforms the behavior of stabilized soils from a strain-hardening response (ductile failure) into a strain-softening response (brittle failure). The failure strength increases with the geopolymer content, confining pressure, and curing time. Increasing the geopolymer content to 30% improves the cohesion and internal friction angle to 479.8 kPa and 21.1°, respectively, being approximately 96.1 and 4.9 times those of unstabilized soil. The geopolymer content of 30% is found as the optimum to achieve the lowest compressibility. Microstructural analyses show that the reaction products of CG–CCR geopolymer binder could fill the intergranular pores and densify the soil by reducing the void space between soil particles, explaining the strength improvement of marine clay. This study provides a potential strategy for enhancing the geomechanical properties of marine clay by utilizing industrial geological waste.

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Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52008121), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFC3003601), the Key International (Regional) Joint Research Project (No. 52020105002), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (No. 2023A1515012163), and the Open Research Fund of MOE Key Laboratory of High-speed Railway Engi-neering, Southwest Jiaotong University.

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  1. School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Jianfeng Li, Yi Shan, Yadong Li, Jie Cui & Jinwen Zhou

  2. School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519082, China

    Jianfeng Li & Pengpeng Ni

  3. Guangdong Engineering Research Center for Underground Infrastructural Protection in Coastal Clay Area, Guangzhou, 510006, China

    Jianfeng Li, Yi Shan, Yadong Li, Jie Cui & Jinwen Zhou

  4. MOE Key Laboratory of High-Speed Railway Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 610031, China

    Pengpeng Ni

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Li, J., Shan, Y., Ni, P. et al. Multiscale experimental analysis of marine clay stabilized with coal gangue–calcium carbide residue geopolymer. Acta Geotech. 18, 5921–5939 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-023-02055-4

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