Compaction and Strength Characteristics of Engineered Water Repellent Frost Susceptible Soils
Mackenzie L. Malisher, John L. Daniels, Micheal Uduebor, Yunesh Saulick
Abstract
In this work, the mechanical properties of three frost susceptible soils are investigated after treatment with organosilanes (OS). Compaction and strength characteristics tests are carried out on treated and untreated samples by means of a Harvard miniature compaction apparatus and a pocket penetrometer, respectively. The soils were treated with TerraSil, initially diluted at a ratio of 1:100 (OS:water) batched gravimetrically. It was determined that there was an overall decrease in optimum moisture content (from 1.07% to 2.26%) with samples treated with TerraSil. The influence on density varied with soil type, with modest increases (from 1,776 kg/m3 to 1,808 kg/m3) for one soil (Keokuk County) with a measurable plasticity index. The penetrometer results showed similar trends for the treated and untreated samples. The treated samples had slightly lower compressive strength overall. The most significant strength decrease (from untreated to treated for the same moisture content) for Ashe County was from 5 kg/cm2 to 3.167 kg/cm2, Hanover from 5 kg/cm2 to 4.5 kg/cm2, and Keokuk County from 2.75 kg/cm2 to 2 kg/cm2. These results are expected to be useful for engineering applications of TerraSil.