Effects of Grain Size and Treatment Methods on the Cementation of Bioimproved Calcareous Sand
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24, Issue 6
Abstract
Calcareous sand, which is characterized by irregular morphologies and abundant intraparticle pores, poses difficulties for ocean construction. This study investigated the effects of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) treatment methods and grain size on the biocementation of calcareous sand. Calcareous sand specimens with a wide range of grain sizes were first treated by MICP with immersion and mix methods. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the presence of air bubbles inside the specimens treated by the mix method, which hindered biocement production, further promoting the emergence of a gradual failure pattern and reducing the strength and stiffness of the sand specimens. A series of unconfined compressive strength tests indicated that the strength and stiffness of the calcareous sand specimens treated by the immersion method were considerably greater than those of the specimens treated by the mix method in the suitable grain size range. In addition, the immersion method was not suitable for sand specimens with a median grain size of <0.5 mm. By contrast, the mix method was suitable for sand specimens of various sizes. As with the immersion-treated specimens, the specimens treated by the mix method displayed better mechanical properties at the early treatment stages, although the mix method-treated specimens exhibited much lower increase rates of strength and stiffness; moreover, the mix method-treated specimens exhibited lower strength and stiffness after long-term treatment than the immersion-treated specimens.
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Data Availability Statement
All the data, models, and codes used for the study are available from the corresponding author by request.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by Research Grants 42072298 and 41931286 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The authors thank the engineer Liting Hu at the Center of Optoelectronic Micro and Nano Fabrication and Characterizing Facility, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, for the support in XRD testing.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 24 • Issue 6 • June 2024
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Jun 13, 2023
Accepted: Dec 2, 2023
Published online: Mar 21, 2024
Published in print: Jun 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Aug 21, 2024
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