List of Publications by Department for the Academic Year Effects of incorporation of cement and metakaolin on the mechanical properties of poorly graded sand
Abstract
Cemented soils have been admitted globally as a ground improvement technique to enhance the soil performance. Chemical stabilization becomes progressively appealing to researchers, especially when it comes to partially replace the cement content by an efficient admixture such as metakaolin. This study evaluates the stabilization of sandy soil by using cement and cement-metakaolin (C-MK) mixes. Cement was added in percentages of 3, 6, 9, and 12% by dry weight of soil, and the metakaolin was incorporated to partly substitute the cement content by 10, 20, and 30% of its weight. Proctor and direct shear tests were performed to analyze the behavior of the treated and untreated soils. The cement improved the maximum dry unit weight and reduced the optimum moisture content of the soil as predicted. However, it was observed that the metakaolin inclusion to cemented sand resulted in an increase in the compaction characteristics at high C-MK contents. The experimental results reveal that the addition of the cement and metakaolin stabilizers agents improved the shear strength and parameters of the soil, for all the contents. In terms of shear strength and cohesion, the optimum replacement percentage of metakaolin is found to be 30%. The brittleness index of the soil raised by increasing the stabilizers contents and by decreasing the normal pressure.
Journal/Conference Information
Arabian Journal of Geosciences,DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-11080-8, Volume: 15, Issue: 24, Pages Range: 0-1777,