1-D Compression Behaviour of Acid Sulphate Soils Treated with Alkali-Activated Slag

Materials (Basel). 2016 Apr 15;9(4):289. doi: 10.3390/ma9040289.

Abstract

Improvements of soft soils by mechanically mixing cementitious additives have been widely practised for construction of infrastructure. Mixing of additives improves strength and compressibility properties of soils through the development of soil structure. This study investigates the 1-D compression behaviour of alkali-activated slag treated acid sulphate soils (ASS) cured up to 365 days. The void ratio-logarithm of pressure (e-logσ') behaviour of treated ASS, including the destructuration behaviour, with additive contents and curing time have been analysed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses have been undertaken to explain the observed variations of the 1-D compression behaviour. This paper presents the results of these analyses in view of obtaining an insight into the 1-D compression behaviour of treated ASS with the help of mineralogical analysis.

Keywords: 1-D compression behaviour; acid sulphate soil; alkali-activated slag; microstructural analysis; soil improvement.