Shear Strength Envelopes of Biocemented Sands with Varying Particle Size and Cementation Level
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 3
Abstract
Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a bio-mediated technique that may be used to improve the strength and stiffness of soils. Various parameters affect the behavior of MICP-cemented sand, and their effects must be explored before upscaling the MICP treatment technique. The study presented herein investigates the shear response of three types of sand (Ottawa 20-30, Ottawa 50-70, and Nevada) sheared in drained triaxial compression under three effective confining pressures (10, 100, and 400 kPa) at four levels of cementation (untreated, light, moderate, and heavy). Measurements of shear wave velocity were used for process monitoring throughout biotreatment. Shear wave velocity was used as an index to represent the cementation levels. After shearing, the calcium carbonate content was measured directly. Treated specimens showed similar shear responses at a given cementation level, although the number of treatments and the mass of precipitated calcium carbonate varied widely. Bilinear and nonlinear failure envelopes are proposed based on the obtained results to estimate the shear strength of MICP-treated sand. The shear strength parameters are estimated based on the developed bilinear failure envelope. SEM images were used to visually track the evolution of cementation at different cement contents. The predominant crystal phase of precipitated calcium carbonate was visually identified to be calcite.
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Acknowledgments
Funding from the National Science Foundation (CMMI 1537007, 1538460, and 1554056) is appreciated. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This work was performed in part at the Analytical Instrumentation Facility (AIF) at North Carolina State University, which is supported by the State of North Carolina and the National Science Foundation (ECCS 1542015). The AIF is a member of the North Carolina Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN), a site in the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI).
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 3 • March 2020
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Nov 13, 2018
Accepted: Sep 10, 2019
Published online: Jan 3, 2020
Published in print: Mar 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Jun 3, 2020
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