Abstract
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Lime (CaO) have traditionally been used as binder materials for Deep Soil Mix (DSM) ground improvement. Research has been conducted into possible alternatives such as pozzolans to reduce reliance on either cement or lime. However, pozzolans still undergo similar calcium-based reactions in the strengthening process. In this review, further alternative binder materials for soil strength development are explored. These recent developments include fiber reinforcement materials, alkali activation methods, nanomaterials and geopolymers, which can potentially achieve equal or improved performance. Research to date has shown that alkali-activated materials and geopolymers can be equivalent or superior alternatives to pozzolanic supplemented cement binders. The case is made for GP cements which potentially produces 80% less CO2 than conventional portland cement during manufacture. One-part AAM and GP cements are a promising substitute for portland cement in DSM. A combined approach which incorporates both Ca and alkali activated/geopolymer types of materials and hence reactions is proposed.
Highlights
The Deep Soil Mix (DSM) method applies soil stabilization principles, which comprises inserting binder materials with other fillers and mixing together with the soil to form strengthened columns of treated soil below ground
Studied as a potential supplement and/or partial replacement to reduce the usage of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and lime, pozzolanic materials still rely primarily on similar calcium (Ca) reaction processes to produce the same calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and calcium aluminate hydrate (C-A-H) gel products for treated soil compressive strength improvement
A combined mix incorporating primary calcium-based reactions supplemented by pozzolanic secondary and alkali-activated/geopolymer tertiary reactions is recommended for further research
Summary
The Deep Soil Mix (DSM) method applies soil stabilization principles, which comprises inserting binder materials with other fillers and mixing together with the soil to form strengthened columns of treated soil below ground. Studied as a potential supplement and/or partial replacement to reduce the usage of OPC and lime, pozzolanic materials still rely primarily on similar calcium (Ca) reaction processes to produce the same calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and calcium aluminate hydrate (C-A-H) gel products for treated soil compressive strength improvement. Alkali-activated binder materials utilize a different chemical reaction pathway altogether which does not rely on calcium to develop strength gain [3]. They can be mixed in slurry, utilized in the wet mixed method of DSM as a medium to reach lower soil strata [4]. Geopolymers are a class of synthetic inorganic alkali aluminosilicate materials with its 3D network polymeric structure which overcomes possible long-term stability shortcomings of alkali-activated materials
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