Abstract
Expansive soil is predominantly impervious and exhibits dual nature (swelling/shrinkage) when exposed to moisture fluctuation. It is difficult to control the heave action which renders the loss of mechanical strength of such soils. The present study emphasizes on the stabilization of black cotton soil (BCS) using envirosafe alkali-activated binders (AAB) instead of traditional cement-based binders. Mineralogical and microstructural characterization for both untreated BCS and AAB-treated BCS are performed through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The influences of varying percentages of AAB at different curing periods are investigated through index and shear strength properties of treated BCS. The binder treatment shows a significant improvement in geoengineering properties and aids in enhancing the CBR and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) values of BCS. The reduction in swelling and plasticity index is attributed to mineral alteration due to treatment of BCS with AAB. This study may prove to be very effective in devising an economic technique to address the problems associated with BCS.
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Abbreviations
- AAB:
-
Alkali activated binder
- Al:
-
Aluminum
- Al2O3 :
-
Aluminum oxide
- ASTM:
-
American Society for Testing and Materials
- Au:
-
Augite
- BCS:
-
Black Cotton Soil
- Ca:
-
Calcium
- CC :
-
Coefficient of compressibility
- CV :
-
Coefficient of consolidation
- CBR:
-
California bearing ratio
- CH:
-
Heavy clay
- C02 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- EDS:
-
Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
- Fe:
-
Iron
- Fe2O3 :
-
Iron oxide
- FSI:
-
Free swelling index
- FTIR:
-
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
- GGBS:
-
Ground-granulated blast-furnace slag
- IRC:
-
Indian Road Congress
- K:
-
Potassium
- K1 :
-
Coefficient of permeability
- K2O:
-
Potassium oxide
- K.Br:
-
Potassium bromide
- L.L:
-
Liquid Limit
- LS:
-
Linear shrinkage
- M:
-
Montmorillonite
- MDD:
-
Maximum dry density
- Mg:
-
Magnesium
- Ms:
-
Muscovite
- Mu:
-
Mullite
- MV :
-
Coefficient of volume change
- Na:
-
Sodium
- NaOH:
-
Sodium hydroxide
- NTPC:
-
National thermal power plant
- OMC:
-
Optimum moisture content
- P:
-
Portlandite
- PI:
-
Plasticity index
- PL:
-
Plastic limit
- Q:
-
Quartz
- S:
-
Hydroxy sodalite
- Si:
-
Silica
- SEM:
-
Scanning electron microscopy
- SL:
-
Shrinkage limit
- SSA:
-
Specific surface area
- TiO2 :
-
Titanium dioxide
- UCS:
-
Unconfined compressive strength
- USCS:
-
Unified soil classification system
- w/s:
-
Water to solid ratio
- XRD:
-
X-ray diffraction
- XRF:
-
X-ray fluorescence
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the central analytical laboratory facilities at BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus for providing the necessary setup to conduct XRD, FTIR and SEM–EDS analyses.
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Syed, M., GuhaRay, A. & Kar, A. Stabilization of Expansive Clayey Soil with Alkali Activated Binders. Geotech Geol Eng 38, 6657–6677 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01461-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01461-9