Experimental study of the working property and strength behavior of waste marine clay with high water content modified with quicklime, ground calcium carbonate, and a WXS-II soil stabilizer

Abstract

In this investigation, a resource utilization method for marine clay is presented to support the development of traffic engineering in the coastal areas of China. To improve the working properties of representative waste soil, the pretreatment method of “quicklime + ground calcium carbonate powder (GCCP)” is used to rapidly reduce its water content, liquid limit, and plasticity index. After this, according to the strength requirements of the high-grade road subgrade, subbase, and base, different doses of WSS (WXS-II soil stabilizer) are used for stabilization and the effect is verified using unconfined compressive strength tests and California Bearing Ratio tests. Additionally, in order to clarify the action mechanism of the quicklime, GCCP, and WSS, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XDR) tests are used to investigate the micro-morphological changes and mineralogical composition evolution patterns of the soil. The results show that the “quicklime + GCCP” pretreatment can effectively improve the dehydration efficiency and Atterberg limits of high water content marine clay, change the soil texture, and enhance the engineering properties. Furthermore, the WSS can continuously generate hydration products such as C-S-H, C-A-H, and ettringite during the curing process that encapsulate soil particles and fill pores, significantly enhancing the strength of the soil.