The Role of a New Stabilizer in Enhancing the Mechanical Performance of Construction Residue Soils

• Published in: Materials Vol. 17; no. 17; p. 4293
• Main Authors: Chen, Xin, Yu, Jing, Yu, Feng, Pan, Jingjing, Li, Shuaikang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.08.2024
• Subjects: Blast furnace slags; Cement; Chemical reactions; Compressive strength; Construction; construction residual soil; Curing; Dosage; dry–wet cycle; Electron microscopes; Engineering; Feasibility; industrial waste-based soil stabilizer; Industrial wastes; Mechanical properties; Moisture content; Organic matter; Phosphogypsum; Residual soils; Residues; Shear tests; Slag; Soil chemistry; Soil improvement; Soil investigations; Soil mechanics; Soil properties; Soil stabilization; Soil strength; Soil water; Waste materials; Water; Water stability; Zeolites; water stability; industrial waste-based soil stabilizer; construction residual soil; dry–wet cycle; mechanical properties
• DOI: 10.3390/ma17174293
• ISSN: 1996-1944

Urban construction generates significant amounts of construction residue soil. This paper introduces a novel soil stabilizer based on industrial waste to improve its utilization. This stabilizer is primarily composed of blast furnace slag (BFS), steel slag (SS), phosphogypsum (PG), and other additives, which enhance soil strength through physical and chemical processes. This study investigated the mechanical properties of construction residue soil cured with this stabilizer, focusing on the effects of organic matter content ( ), stabilizer dosage ( ), and curing age ( ) on unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Additionally, water stability and wet-dry cycle tests of the stabilized soil were conducted to assess long-term performance. According to the findings, the UCS increased with the higher stabilizer dosage and longer curing periods but reduced with the higher organic matter content. A stabilizer content of 15-20% is recommended for optimal stabilization efficacy and cost-efficiency in engineering applications. The samples lost their strength when immersed in water. However, adding more stabilizers to the soil can effectively enhance its water stability. Under wet-dry cycle conditions, the UCS initially increased and then decreased, remaining lower than that of samples cured under standard conditions. The findings can provide valuable data for the practical application in construction residual soil stabilization.