Peat is a well-known problematic soil associated with poor engineering properties. Its replacement with an expensive competent foundation material is practiced for road embankment construction which is costly and causes greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, this paper investigated the effectiveness of a byproduct from a metal industry (silica fume) to stabilize peat along with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) through a series of experimental tests. After peat-indexed characterization, a number of standard compaction and mechanical tests were performed on the stabilized and parent peat. For this purpose, nine designated mixes were prepared possessing various combinations of silica fume (SF) and 10–20% OPC. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests were carried out after 7, 14, and 28 days of curing to assess strength enhancement and binder effectiveness, and the microstructural evolution induced by the binders was examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The analysis revealed a substantial improvement in mechanical properties with the incorporation of SF and OPC, ultimately meeting the minimum strength requirement for highway construction (i.e., 345 kPa). A peak UCS of 1063.94 kPa was recorded at 20% SF, and an unsoaked CBR value of 42.95 was observed using 15% SF and 15% OPC after 28 days of curing. Furthermore, the increasing percentage of hydraulic binders exhibited brittle, collapsible failure, while the microstructural study revealed the formation of a dense matrix with a refined pore structure in the treated peat. Finally, a significant statistical analysis was carried out by correlating the test parameters. In this way, rather than stockpiling and dumping, an industrial byproduct was implemented in peat stabilization in an eco-friendly manner.

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The paper presents results of experimental works on intact marine clay samples in Malay and Sarawak Basins, which is located in Malaysia. Recent development in economic and search of new energy has brought to the usage of areas with plenty of marine clay inshore and offshore. For offshore area, the seabed foundation support or subsurface installation often create several complexities in geotechnical design due to high compression behavior and low bearing capacity. Knowledge of seabed soils and rocks is very important in designing any structures onshore or nearshore. However, the seabed data properties in Malaysia is less and not many researches have been done to contribute to this database. Series of oedometer tests performed intact clay samples from different depths showed inconsistency patterns of compression behavior. The preconsolidation pressure for all samples ranged from 200 to 500 kPa, which can be compared with the presence literature for the compression behavior towards denser soil. The compression index, Cc ranged from 0.177 to 0.797 and Swelling index, Cs ranged from 0.133 to 0.066.

The importance of uniaxial compression test (UCT) of rocks will never be overemphasized as it plays a vital role in understanding the mechanical properties of rocks for use in civil, mining, and petroleum engineering. Strain response of rocks to external loading is small; it requires a precise instrument to capture the strain with reasonable accuracy. The conventional method is associated with system compliance error, limited precision, and bedding error. Several methods were devised to alleviate these errors. This study embodies the existing strain measuring instruments during UCT of rocks, their principles, features, accuracy, merits, and demerits are correctly scrutinized. The paper serves as a powerful tool that enables the selection of a suitable instrument accordingly. It is hoped that the study will encourage more exploration in the area.