Mechanical Characteristics of Soils Treated with a Liquid Stabilizer

• Author / Creator

  Zheng, Dong Ming

• Conaid is a liquid ionic soil stabilizers used as a compaction aid or a stabilizer for soil improvement. The material is a mixture of surfactant, stabilizer and high-charge ion sulfide compound. This product may have the potential benefits of removing absorbed water from soil particles with the aid of compaction which results in an increase in shear strength. Despite these potential advantages, there is a lack of geotechnical testing on the material as well as knowledge on its chemical composition and field performance. As a result, a laboratory testing program was conducted at the University of Alberta between September 2010 and June 2012.
  In this study, standard ASTM laboratory tests were carried out to examine the potential benefits of Conaid. Two natural soils and two clayey soils (kaolinite, montmorillonite) were selected for this study. A wide range of Conaid contents, varying from 0.01% to 0.5% by weight, were applied in treating soils. The effects on the compaction characteristics, shear strength and volume change in triaxial compression tests were evaluated. In addition, scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the microstructure of untreated and treated soil samples.
  The test results show some changes, negligible in some cases, on the mechanical properties of the soils treated with Conaid. Also, both Standard and Modified Proctor compaction tests show negligible or even negative effects on maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of test soils except for kaolinite. However, no significant, consistent increases in the shear strength are observed from consolidated drained triaxial compression tests and unconfined compression tests. There is no obvious alteration in the microstructure of the treated soils when they are examined using a SEM except some minor changes are noted in the soil structure.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Unconfined compression test
  • Scanning electron microscope
  • Triaxial compression test
  • Modified Proctor compaction test
  • Liquid soil stabilizer
  • Kaolinite
  • Standard Proctor compaction test
  • Conaid

• Graduation date

  Fall 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3445HP8D

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.