Stiffness Behavior of Soil Stabilized with Alkali-Activated Fly Ash from Small to Large Strains
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17, Issue 3
Abstract
Alkaline activation of fly ash creates a geopolymeric cement that can replace ordinary portland cement in several applications such as soil improvement, with the advantage of much lower carbon dioxide emissions and reusing an industrial by-product otherwise landfilled, which averts several environmental problems. In this paper, the behavior of a silty sand improved by the alkaline activation of fly ash is analyzed from small to large strains by presenting uniaxial and drained triaxial compression test results and seismic wave velocities measured throughout the curing period. The dynamic, cyclic, and static tests showed a significant increase in stiffness with curing time, even beyond the 28-day curing period. On the basis of the nondestructive wave-propagation technique, the increase of the shear and compression wave velocities with time were drawn, giving the evolution of the elastic shear modulus and the Poisson ratio values. The dynamic Young modulus was compared to the correspondent secant Young modulus obtained from the mechanical tests. In addition, the evolution of the properties of this stabilized soil with curing time was compared and confronted to that of soil cement on the basis of the elastic stiffness of both materials, which showed that the most significant difference lies on the curing rate.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the company Pegop–Energia Eléctrica SA, which runs the thermoelectric power plant of Pego, for the supply of fly ash, and Agência de Inovação (ANI) for support through the ECOSOLO Project (Reference 38899/2012). Particular acknowledgment is also due to the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation for its financial support through the SFRH/BPD/85863/2012 scholarship funded by the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology (MCTES) and the European Social Fund (FSE) by the POCH program.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 17 • Issue 3 • March 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 26, 2015
Accepted: Jul 11, 2016
Published online: Aug 26, 2016
Discussion open until: Jan 26, 2017
Published in print: Mar 1, 2017
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