Abstract
The use of cement as a soil stabilization agent is one of the common solutions to enhancing the engineering properties of soil. However, the impact and cost of using cement have raised environmental concerns, generating much interest in the search for alternative materials to reduce the use of cement as a stabilizing agent in soil treatment. This study looked into limiting cement content in peat soil stabilization by using fly ash waste and polypropylene fiber (PPF). It focused on soil mechanical mediation for stabilization of peat with fly ash cement and PPF cement by comparing the mechanical properties, using unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests. The control (untreated) peat specimen and specimens with either fly ash (10%, 20% and 30%) and PPF (0.1%, 0.15% and 0.2%) were studied. Test results showed that 30% of fly ash and cement content displays the highest UCS and CBR values and gives the most reliable compressibility properties. On the other hand, UCS and CBR test results indicate optimum values of PPF–cement stabilizing agent content in the specimen of 0.15% PPF and 30% cement. Selected specimens were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and PPF threads were found to be well surrounded by cement-stabilized peat matrices. It was also observed that the specimen with 30% fly ash generated more hydration products when compared to the specimen with 100% cement content. It is concluded that the use of fly ash cement and PPF cement as stabilizing agents to limit the cement usage in peat soil treatment is potentially viable.
Highlights
Around 8% of the total area of the world’s land is covered by peat soil, and Malaysia is ranked ninth by total peat area with approximately 25,000 km2 [1]
One possible reason for such a high optimum moisture content (OMC) is due to the presence of large voids, as organic contents and water are absorbed to fill up the large voids
This study evaluated the use of fly ash (10% to 30%) and polypropylene fiber (PPF) (0.1% to 0.2%) as additives to enhance cement-stabilized peat soil
Summary
Around 8% of the total area of the world’s land is covered by peat soil, and Malaysia is ranked ninth by total peat area with approximately 25,000 km2 [1]. It is relatively easy to differentiate peat from other soil types by its dark brown to black coloration, high organic content, high moisture content and lightweight nature [3]. Peat is categorized as a type of soft soil and is inappropriate for geotechnical applications due to its extreme compressibility (high porosity), high squeezability and low shear strength [4]. Peat soil is often referred to as problematic soil due to its high acidity, high rates of creep, high water content (500–2000%) and high permeability [5]. These properties could cause differential settlement or failures in structures built on such soils, making peat soil an unsuitable material for construction
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