Development of an in situ soil binding agent

Abstract

This paper describes the use of water glass and calcium chloride as a complex base binding agent for in situ soil stabilization. Four kinds of dust samples were used as the penetration and silicification mediums. Three surfactants were used as the penetration aiding agents and individually added to the solutions of water glass and calcium chloride for increasing their penetration ability. The test results show that the suitable concentration of the penetration aiding agents is about 0.3%, if the solutions are applied to wetting dust. The penetration ability of the solutions in the dust samples increases by 24–47%. The surface tension of the solutions after individually adding the penetration aiding agents can be effectively reduced, but it has no strict relationship with the penetration ability of the solutions. To increase the penetration depth in the dust samples in a shorter time, water glass solution should penetrate first and then calcium chloride solution. The penetration aiding agents can greatly improve the penetration ability of the base binding agent solutions in the dust samples with poor wetting property. However, the penetration ability also depends on other physical and chemical properties of the dust samples. Using the penetration aiding agent, dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid sodium salt, with 0.3% concentration, the penetration time of water glass and calcium chloride solutions with 5, 15 and 25% concentrations can reduce by 29, 46 and 62%, respectively.