Performance Assessment of Polymer–Cement Stabilized Soil for Geotechnical Applications
Keywords:
Soil stabilization, Polymer, Cement stabilization, Polymer–cement stabilized soil, Unconfined compressive strength, California Bearing Ratio, Plasticity index, Geotechnical applicationsAbstract
Soil stabilization is widely used to improve the engineering performance of weak and problematic soils for geotechnical and pavement applications. The present study investigates the performance of polymer–cement stabilized soil by evaluating the effects of different cement and polymer contents on plasticity characteristics, compaction behaviour, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and California Bearing Ratio (CBR). An untreated soil was compared with mixtures containing 4% and 6% cement, 0.5% and 1.0% polymer, and their combined treatments. The effect of curing period on the strength development of cement-containing mixtures was also examined. The untreated soil exhibited a plasticity index of 26.6%, maximum dry density of 1.63 Mg/m³, unconfined compressive strength of 118 kPa at 28 days, and CBR of 3.8%. Stabilization resulted in a progressive improvement in the engineering properties of the soil. The 6% cement treatment increased the 28-day UCS to 278 kPa and the CBR to 9.4%, whereas the combined treatment containing 6% cement and 1.0% polymer increased the corresponding values to 367 kPa and 15.1%, respectively. Compared with the untreated soil, the 6% cement–1.0% polymer treatment resulted in approximately 211% improvement in 28-day UCS and 297% improvement in CBR. The plasticity index was also reduced from 26.6% for untreated soil to 14.2% after combined stabilization. The progressive increase in UCS with curing period indicates the development of cementitious bonding, while the improved performance of the combined treatment indicates the beneficial contribution of polymer modification to the stabilized soil matrix. The findings demonstrate the potential of polymer–cement stabilization for improving the strength, plasticity and bearing characteristics of soil for selected geotechnical applications. Further investigation involving durability, moisture susceptibility and field-scale validation is recommended before practical implementation.
References
Barman, D., & Dash, S. K. (2022). Stabilization of expansive soils using chemical additives: A review. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 14(4), 1319–1342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2022.02.011
Huang, J., Kogbara, R. B., Hariharan, N., Masad, E. A., & Little, D. N. (2021). A state-of-the-art review of polymers used in soil stabilization. Construction and Building Materials, 305, 124685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2021.124685
Ikeagwuani, C. C., & Nwonu, D. C. (2019). Emerging trends in expansive soil stabilisation: A review. Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 11(2), 423–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2018.08.013
Jang, J., & Lee, J. (2020). A review of the application of biopolymers on geotechnical engineering and the strengthening mechanisms between typical biopolymers and soils. Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, 2020, 1465709. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1465709
Jalal, F. E., Xu, Y., Iqbal, M., Jamhiri, B., & Liu, S. (2020). On the recent trends in expansive soil stabilization using calcium-based stabilizer materials (CSMs): A comprehensive review. Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, 2020, 1510969. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/1510969
Taher, Z., Scalia, J., & Bareither, C. (2020). Comparative assessment of expansive soil stabilization by commercially available polymers. Transportation Geotechnics, 24, 100387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2020.100387
Zhang, F., Zhang, L., & Hong, W. (2019). Stabilization of expansive soil with polyvinyl alcohol and potassium carbonate. Advances in Civil Engineering, 2019, 7032087. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/7032087
