Properties of Two Model Soils Stabilized with Different Blends and Contents of GGBS, MgO, Lime, and PC
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 26, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper addresses the use of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and reactive magnesia (MgO) blends for soil stabilization, comparing them with GGBS-lime blends and Portland cement (PC) for enhanced technical performance. A range of tests were conducted to investigate the properties of stabilized soils, including unconfined compressive strength (UCS), permeability, and microstructural analyses by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The influence of GGBS:MgO ratio, binder content, soil type, and curing period were addressed. The UCS results revealed that GGBS-MgO was more efficient than GGBS-lime as a binder for soil stabilization, with an optimum MgO content in the range of 5–20% of the blends content, varying with binder content and curing age. The 28-day UCS values of the optimum GGBS-MgO mixes were up to almost four times higher than that of corresponding PC mixes. The microstructural analyses showed the hydrotalcite was produced during the GGBS hydration activated by MgO, although the main hydration products of the GGBS-MgO stabilized soils were similar to those of PC.
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Acknowledgments
The experimental work presented in this paper was carried out at the Geotechnical and Environmental Laboratory, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, in the academic year 2009–2010 when the first author was a visiting researcher there. The funding from CSC, NSFC (51279032), MOST (2012BAJ01B02-01), and JCNSF (BK2011618) of China is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 26 • Issue 2 • February 2014
Pages: 267 - 274
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 17, 2012
Accepted: Feb 19, 2013
Published online: Feb 21, 2013
Discussion open until: Jul 21, 2013
Published in print: Feb 1, 2014
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