Abstract
The low bearing capacity of expansive soils often results in serviceability issues and premature failures of infrastructure built upon them. Various studies have demonstrated the use of different soil treatment methods using mechanical or chemical approaches to stabilize the weak ground as a precaution. Most of the reported studies are limited to either lab-based investigations or field monitoring works without the scientific connection between theory and translation. This study aims to verify the field application of a novel soil stabilization method by conducting laboratory-controlled experiments and field performance testing as verification. Enzyme–based soil stabilization was adopted for in-situ clay soil in combination with ordinary portland cement as a sustainable stabilization approach. Soil samples were collected at different regions from the field to evaluate the effectiveness and the mechanism of soil stabilization in the field by the means of replicating stabilization at the laboratory scale using identical mixing proportions of the additives. The mechanical behavior of stabilized soil was assessed through the unconfined compression strength and California bearing ratio test methods. In addition, the changes in the chemical composition of the soil due to the additives were evaluated through the X-ray diffraction testing technique and microporosity test using 2D images translated to 3D profiles from X-ray micro CT tomography. The efficacy of field stabilization was evaluated by conducting the falling weight deflectometer test in the stabilized site. Results from the study are useful to understand the efficacy of field soil stabilization and enhance the reliability of enzyme–based stabilization in practice.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This research was conducted by the Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hubs for nanoscience-based construction material manufacturing (IH150100006) and Transformation of Reclaimed Waste Resources to Engineered Materials and Solutions for a Circular Economy (IH200100010) supported by the Centre for Pavement Excellence Asia Pacific Ltd. The X-ray facility and microscopy and microanalysis facility were provided by RMIT University and are acknowledged.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 35 • Issue 5 • May 2023
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jan 31, 2022
Accepted: Aug 26, 2022
Published online: Feb 28, 2023
Published in print: May 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jul 28, 2023
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