Curing Method and Mix Design Evaluation of a Styrene-Acrylic Based Liquid Polymer for Sand and Clay Stabilization
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30, Issue 9
Abstract
The curing of soil specimens treated with a liquid polymer soil stabilizer of styrene acrylic family was studied through an extensive laboratory testing program. First, the effect of different curing environments including air, water and heating on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of stabilized sand was studied to identify suitable curing environments. Furthermore, a parametric study was conducted through which the liquid content of the specimens (i.e., polymer + water) was varied and the overall performance of treated specimens of sand and sulfate-rich high plasticity clay was assessed. The optimally treated specimens (i.e., with the best curing environment and optimal stabilizer dosage) were evaluated for their (1) short-term performance, (2) swelling potentials of treated high plasticity clay, and (3) durability after 24 wet–dry or freeze–thaw cycles. The results suggested that heating can significantly expedite the curing; conversely, soaking the specimens in water showed a detrimental effect in terms of the resultant strength. The strongest specimens were achieved when no extra water in addition to the liquid stabilizer was added when treating the soil. As to clay, the liquid polymer showcased excellent performance in reducing the swelling potential but the strength of the specimens was highly decreased by to moisture and freeze–thaw cycles.
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Acknowledgments
The authors of this paper would like to greatly acknowledge the help of Dr. Murali Subramaniam and Mr. Scott Hazelrigg at Intec of San Antonio who assisted in testing the specimens. A major part of the testing program was conducted at the Geomaterials Laboratory of the University of Texas at San Antonio under the supervision of Dr. Samer Dessouky. The liquid polymer was provided by the Mallard Creek Polymers Inc. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The contents of this paper reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of those who helped the authors with this project.
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 30 • Issue 9 • September 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 1, 2017
Accepted: Feb 21, 2018
Published online: Jun 20, 2018
Published in print: Sep 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Nov 20, 2018
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