Durability of clayey soil stabilized with calcium sulfoaluminate cement and polypropylene fiber under extreme environment

Abstract

Calcium Sulfo-Aluminate Cement (CSAC) is gaining interest among researchers, consultants, engineers, and environmentalists as a prospective replacement of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) across many construction industries. The main reason is that the production of CSAC generates a lower carbon footprint as compared to OPC cement production. Other benefits of CSAC include quick bonding & strength development, and less shrinkage. Many studies are available and ongoing on the advantages and limitations of CSAC in concrete. However, only a few studies are available on its application in soil stabilization. Therefore, the efficiency of CSAC for soil stabilization is a topic of discussion in geotechnical engineering. In this research, a locally sourced highly compressible clayey soil was stabilized with different combinations of CSAC and polypropylene fiber (e.g., 5.0%, 7.5% & 10.0% of CSAC and 0.5% & 1.0% polypropylene fiber), and its effectiveness was observed and evaluated in terms of durability (Wetting-Drying and Freezing-Thawing tests) against extreme environments and also checked Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) as per American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) guidelines. The findings of this research are evaluated in terms of percentage of soil loss, change in moisture content and volume, and loss of strength after durability exposure. Moisture content and bulk unit weight were determined after each stage in the Freezing-Thawing durability cycles. Samples prepared with 10.0% of CSAC and 1.0% of fiber were able to survive all durability cycles of Wetting-Drying with PCA (Portland Cement Association) soil-loss percentage criteria. On the other hand, samples prepared with 10.0% cement with 0.5% as well as 1.0% fiber were able to survive all durability cycles of Freezing-Thawing with PCA soil-loss percentage criteria. These survived samples showed a significant amount of unconfined compressive strength even after being subjected to these durability cycles.