Kaolin Clay Reinforced with a Granular Column Containing Crushed Waste Glass or Traditional Construction Sands
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 22, Issue 4
Abstract
Installation of granular columns is a cost-effective and versatile in situ technique to improve the shear strength, settlement, and drainage behavior of weak soils. It involves backfilling vertical boreholes in the ground with granular materials stiffer than the native soil, such as stone or compacted sand. However, the massive use and overexploitation of sand and natural aggregates have depleted their reserves in recent decades, causing damage to the environment, creating sand shortages, and skyrocketing their price. Hence, it is essential to develop a sustainable alternative to natural aggregates to construct granular columns. The ever-increasing stockpiles of waste glass could be a potential replacement for natural sand in several geotechnical construction applications, noting that both materials have a similar chemical composition. Using crushed waste glass (CWG) as an alternative to traditional natural and manufactured (quarried) sands in granular columns could offer a multipronged benefit by recycling nonbiodegradable waste (glass) and by conserving a depleting natural resource (sand). Using a large direct shear (LDS) machine, this study investigated the shear strength behavior of kaolin (to represent a typical weak soil) reinforced with a central granular column. Three different materials were separately used to backfill the column, including natural sand (NS), manufactured sand (MS), and CWG. The results revealed that the geocomposites containing the CWG column have the highest peak friction angle and relatively greater shear strength under high normal stresses, favoring the potential use of CWG as a green alternative to traditional sands in backfilling granular columns, ultimately supporting resource conservation, waste recycling, and the paradigm shift toward a circular economy.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank The University of Queensland (Australia) for providing the necessary resources to perform this research. They are also thankful to Mr. Peter Lovegrove (Enviro Sand, Australia) for supplying crushed waste glass for this study. Special thanks to Professor Alexander Scheuermann (School of Civil Engineering at The University of Queensland), Dr. Zhongwei Chen (School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering at The University of Queensland), and Dr. Denys Villa Gomez (School of Civil Engineering at The University of Queensland) for providing their constructive suggestions.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 22 • Issue 4 • April 2022
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© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 24, 2021
Accepted: Nov 19, 2021
Published online: Feb 4, 2022
Published in print: Apr 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Jul 4, 2022
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