Exploring the microstructure characteristics and mechanical behavior of the ionic soil stabilizer-treated clay

Abstract

As a high-efficiency and environment-friendly stabilizer material, ionic soil stabilizer (ISS) has been widely used in construction industries. However, the microstructure characteristics and mechanical behavior of the treated soil still need a case study based on vary characteristics of soils and different treatments. In this paper, microscopic and macroscopic testing methods were adopted to explore the microstructure characteristics and mechanical behavior of the acidic ISS-treated clay versus the traditional alkaline lime and cement-treated clay. The results indicate that the soil particles become much more flocculated because of the ion exchange reaction between the soil and the ISS relying on the unique molecular structure of the ISS. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) significantly increases, but still could not satisfy the requirement of road bearing capacity. However, the UCS improves rapidly with the increase of alkaline lime and cement. In addition, there is a benefit-period when the UCS of acidic and alkaline stabilizer-treated soil is greater than that of lime and cement-treated soil, whereas the strength of lime and cement-treated soil is lower than that of the combined treated one after this period. This study investigates the microstructure characteristics and mechanical behavior of the ISS-treated clay, which provides a theoretical and scientific support for appropriate road construction.