Study on Strength Characteristics and Hardening Mechanism of Alkali Residue–Based Lightweight Soil
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36, Issue 4
Abstract
The accumulation of alkali residue has led to significant contamination of soil, air, and water, posing a hazardous threat to the environment. To address this issue, a technology and method for producing alkali residue–based lightweight soil were proposed to facilitate the reuse of alkali residue, and the feasibility of this method was demonstrated. Compression tests, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics and hardening mechanism of the material. The results indicate that the compressive strength of the alkali residue–based lightweight soil increases linearly with wet density, age, content of portland cement, and ground granulated blast slag. The optimal water–solid ratio was determined to be 0.6. Specimens with low and high strength exhibited plastic and brittle failures, respectively. The primary contributors to the material’s compressive strength were identified as hydrated calcium silicate, ettringite, monosulfur calcium sulfoaluminate hydrate, hydrated calcium aluminate, and Friedel’s salt. The 28-d compressive strength of the alkali residue–based lightweight soil, with a water–solid ratio of 0.6 and a wet density of , was measured to be 1.17 MPa, meeting the requirements for most filling projects.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The study was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42277146); Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Traffic Engineering Construction Bureau (7621009140); Graduate Practice Innovation Program in Jiangsu Province, China (Grant No. SJCX23_0074); and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2242023K40018, 2242023K30057).
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Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 36 • Issue 4 • April 2024
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© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: May 30, 2023
Accepted: Sep 14, 2023
Published online: Jan 24, 2024
Published in print: Apr 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jun 24, 2024
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