Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Triaxial behavior of cement-stabilized organic matter–disseminated sand

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Acta Geotechnica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Organic matter–disseminated sand (OMDS) is a widely distributed problematic soil in coastal areas of Hainan province, China. Its existence makes the installation of piles difficult and has the risk of insufficient bearing capacity. OMDS is different from other organic soils such as peat in terms of formation, mineral component, organic content, and forms of organic matters. In this study, 20% (w/w) cement together with 7.5% (w/w) lime at a water–cement ratio of 0.45 was mixed with OMDS to improve its mechanical performances. A series of unconsolidated undrained static triaxial test was conducted on the stabilized OMDS to investigate the failure mode, stress–strain relationship, maximum and residue deviator stress, axial strain at failure, and elastic modulus under various confining pressures (0, 200, 300, 400 kPa) and curing time (7d, 14d, 28d). The test results showed that higher confining pressure and longer curing time in general led to higher maximum and residue deviator stress, larger axial strain at failure, and larger secant elastic modulus of cement-stabilized OMDS. The maximum and residue deviator stress of cement-stabilized OMDS increased with curing time and ranged from 500 to 2180 kPa and from 250 to 1800 kPa, respectively. Under elevated confining pressure, maximum deviator stress increased substantially, irrespective of curing time. Secant elastic modulus (E50) increased with confining pressure at these three curing time, from 29 to 42 MPa. Due to the existence of organic matters, the strength of cement-stabilized OMDS was lower than cement-stabilized non-organic sand, regardless of confining pressure and curing time. This study provided new insight into the shear strength behavior of cement-stabilized OMDS under different confining conditions. This will facilitate the design and construction of foundations in this type of soil.

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.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Acar YB, El-Tahir EA (1986) Low strain dynamic properties of artificially cemented sand. J Geotech Eng 112:1001–1015

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Asghari E, Toll DG, Haeri SM (2003) Triaxial behaviour of a cemented gravely sand, Tehran alluvium. Geotech Geol Eng 21:1–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Bobet A, Hwang J, Johnston CT, Santagata M (2011) One-dimensional consolidation behavior of cement-treated organic soil. Can Geotech J 48(7):1100–1115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Chen H, Wang Q (2006) The behaviour of organic matter in the process of soft soil stabilization using cement. Bull Eng Geol Environ 65(4):445–448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Chen S, Hou R, Ni C, Wang J (2018) Research on the mechanical properties of cemented soil based on triaxial compression tests. Bull Chin Ceram Soc 37(12):4012–4017 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Choobbasti AJ, Vafaei A, Kutanaei SS (2018) Static and cyclic triaxial behavior of cemented sand with nanosilica. J Mater Civ Eng 30(10):article 04018269

  7. Chrysochoou M, Grubb DG, Drengler KL, Malasavage NE (2010) Stabilized dredged material. III: mineralogical perspective. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 136(8):1037–1050

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Clare KE, Sherwood PT (2007) The effect of organic matter on the setting of soil–cement mixtures. J Appl Chem 4(11):625–630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Consoli NC, Bassani MAA, Lucas Festugato (2010) Effect of fiber-reinforcement on the strength of cemented soils. Geotext Geomembr 28:344–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Du Y, Jiang N, Liu S, Jin F, Singh D, Puppala AJ (2014) Engineering properties and microstructural characteristics of cement-stabilized zinc-contaminated kaolin. Can Geotech J 51(3):289–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Du Y, Wu J, Bo Y, Jiang N (2020) Effects of acid rain on physical, mechanical and chemical properties of GGBS MgO-solidified/stabilized Pb-contaminated clayey soil. Acta Geotech 15:923–932

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Hamidi A, Hooresfand M (2013) Effect of fiber reinforcement on triaxial shear behavior of cement treated sand. Geotext Geomembr 36:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Holtz RD, Kovacs WD, Shenhan TC (2011) An introduction to geotechnical engineering. Pearson, Upper Saddle River

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hu J, Jia L, Wang W, Wei H, Du J (2018) Engineering characteristics and reinforcement approaches of organic-sandy soil. Adv Civ Eng article 7203907

  15. Hu J, Zhang L, Wei H, Du J (2018) Experimental study of the compressive strength of chemically reinforced organic-sandy soil. Geomech Eng 16(3):247–255

    Google Scholar 

  16. JGJ/T 233-2011 (2011) Design code for cement–soil mix ratio. China Building Industry Press, Beijing

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jiang NJ, Du YJ, Liu SY, Wei ML, Horpihulsuk S, Arularjah A (2016) Multi-scale laboratory evaluation of the physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of soft highway subgrade soil stabilized with calcium carbide residue. Can Geotech J 53(3):373–383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Kazemian S, Prasad A, Huat B, Bazaz JB, Aziz FNAA, Ali TAM (2011) Influence of cement sodium silicate grout admixed with calcium chloride and kaolinite on sapric peat. J Civ Eng Manag 17(3):309–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Lv XF, Zhou HY (2019) Shear characteristics of cement-stabilized sand reinforced with waste polyester fiber fabric blocks. Adv Mater Sci Eng article 3758413

  20. MolaAbasi et al (2018) Triaxial behavior of zeolite-cemented sand. Proc ICE Ground Improv. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgrim.18.00009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Nafisi A, Montoya BM, Evans TM (2020) Shear strength envelopes of biocemented sands with varying particle size and cementation level. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 146(3):04020002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Noorzad R, Mirmoradi SH (2010) Laboratory evaluation of the behavior of a geotextile reinforced clay. Geotext Geomembr 28:386–392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Oliveira PJV, Correia AAS, Garcia MR (2014) Effect of organic matter content and curing conditions on the creep behavior of an artificially stabilized soil. J Mater Civ Eng 24(7):868–875

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Paria S, Yuet PK (2006) Solidification–stabilization of organic and inorganic contaminants using Portland cement: a literature review. Environ Rev 14(4):217–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Raoul J, Franck R, Damien R, Laurent M (2010) Stabilisation of estuarine silt with lime and/or cement. Appl Clay Sci 50:395–400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Rahman ZA, Sulaiman N, Rahim SA, Idirs WMR, Lihan T (2016) Effect of cement additive and curing period on some engineering properties of treated peat soil. Sains Malays 45(11):1679–1687

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sara R, António VDF, Béatrice AB (2014) On the shearing behaviour of an artificially cemented soil. Acta Geotech 9(2):215–226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Selig E, Ladd R (1978) Preparing test specimens using undercompaction. Geotech Test J 1(1):16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Shao L, Liu S, Du G, Gu M (2008) Experimental study on improvement of organic soil with cement and fly-ash. J Eng Geol 16(3):408–414 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Sobhan K, Ramirez JC, Reddy DV (2012) Cement stabilization of highly organic subgrade soils to control secondary compression settlement. Transp Res Rec 2310:103–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Song X, Xu H (2016) Research on stress–strain characteristics of cement soil by true triaxial test. Rock Soil Mech 37(9):2489–2495 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Tremblay H, Duchesne J, Locat J, Leroueil S (2002) Influence of the nature of organic compounds on fine soil stabilization. Can Geotech J 39(3):535–546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Wong LS (2010) Stabilization of peat by chemical binders and siliceous sand. PhD thesis, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  34. Wu H, Zhang Q, Fang J, Zeng L (2003) An experimental study of the humic acid sorption on kaolinite and Si/Al-oxide minerals. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica 22(2):173–176 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Xun Y (2000) The anti-influences and influences of containing organic matter on cement soil strength. Build Sci Res Sichuan 3:58–59 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Zhang B, Huang B, Fu X, Xiao L (2015) An experimental study of strength and deformation properties of cemented soil core sample and its constitutive relation. Rock Soil Mech 36(12):3417–3424 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Zhang D, Liu Z, Sun X, Cao Z (2017) Laboratory tests on enhancing strength of cement stabilized organic soil with addition of phosphor gypsum and calcium aluminate cement. Sch Southeast Univ (Engl Ed) 3:301–308

    Google Scholar 

  38. Zulkifley MTM, Ng TF, Raj JK, Hashim R, Abu Bakar AF, Paramanthan S, Ashraf MA (2014) A review of the stabilization of tropical lowland peats. Bull Eng Geol Environ 73(3):733–746

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Key Research and Development Plan Program of Hainan Province in China (ZDYF2019172), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51968019, 51368017), the Higher Education and Teaching Reform Research Program of Hainan Province in China (Hnjg2019-6), the Tianjin University-Hainan University Collaborative Innovation Foundation of China (HDTDU201908), and China Scholarship Council (201908460053). The assistance in laboratory tests offered by Ms. T.T. Shen is greatly appreciated, who was a formerly graduate student at Hainan University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Juan Du & Gang Zheng

  2. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China

    Juan Du, Bingyang Liu & Jun Hu

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Ning-Jun Jiang

Authors
  1. Juan Du
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gang Zheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bingyang Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ning-Jun Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jun Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ning-Jun Jiang.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Du, J., Zheng, G., Liu, B. et al. Triaxial behavior of cement-stabilized organic matter–disseminated sand. Acta Geotech. 16, 211–220 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-00992-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-00992-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation