Experimental Study on Mechanics and Water Stability of High Liquid Limit Soil Stabilized by Compound Stabilizer: A Sustainable Construction Perspective

Abstract

Sustainable highway construction and operation are threatened by high-liquid-limit soil with low strength and poor water stability in Dongting Lake areas. In order to obtain a soil stabilizer that can effectively improve its strength and water stability, first the author selected inorganic materials (cement, quicklime and fly ash) and sulfonated oil (SO) as the main components of the composite soil stabilizer. Then, a series of single admixture tests were carried out to explore the strength and water stability mechanism of single admixture stabilized soil. Finally, a series of orthogonal experiments and cost analyses were carried out to obtain the formula of the composite stabilizer. According to the results of single doping, inorganic materials can significantly enhance the strength and stiffness of high-liquid-limit soil. The content of SO has a strong correlation with the water stability of high-liquid-limit soil. On a microscopic scale, X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning electron microscopy images explained this law. According to the orthogonal results, the formula of the composite soil stabilizer is: cement 4.5%, quicklime 1.5%, fly ash 2.5%, and SO 0.2%. This paper provides a method to improve high-liquid-limit soil, which is beneficial to sustainable construction and operation of the highway.

Research and Application of Slag–Nanosilica Stabilizer for Silt Subgrade

“…The decreasing rate of the water stability coefficient in the early period of CS-S was larger than that of SNS-S, and the decreasing rate of the water stability coefficient in the later period of SNS-S was slower. With the increase in age, the water stability coefficient in the later period of CS-S and SNS-S gradually increased, and the stabilized soil tended to be stable under the water immersion environment [33].…”

“…The decreasing rate of the water stability coefficient in the early period of CS-S was larger than that of SNS-S, and the decreasing rate of the water stability coefficient in the later period of SNS-S was slower. With the increase in age, the water stability coefficient in the later period of CS-S and SNS-S gradually increased, and the stabilized soil tended to be stable under the water immersion environment [33]. In the above table, the age refers to the number of days of water bath curing after 6 d standard curing, R w represents the standard UCS, R c represents the UCS after water bath curing, D w represents the strength loss rate, and K w represents the water stability coefficient.…”

The Engineering Properties and Microscopic Characteristics of High-Liquid-Limit Soil Improved with Lignin

“…High-liquid-limit soil has poor compaction, uneven gradation distribution, and unique characteristics such as high liquid limit, high plasticity index, and high water content, so it is regarded as a bad soil in engineering geology [1]. If used as subgrade filling, it can easily cause uneven settlement, cracking, sliding, and other engineering problems, so highliquid-limit soil cannot be directly applied to subgrade filling [2,3]. At present, traditional stabilizers such as cement, lime, and fly ash are used to improve high-liquid-limit soil used in engineering [4][5][6].…”

Performance Evaluation of Tunnel-Slag-Improved High Liquid Limit Soil in Subgrade: A Case Study

“…High liquid limit soil, as a type of soft soil, has often been encountered in highway subgrade construction in the southern mountains of China. It generally exhibits the characteristics of high moisture content, high porosity ratio, low permeability and high compressibility [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Numerous studies specifically focusing on the improvement of properties of high liquid limit soil have been carried out.…”