Effect of Adding Metakaolin Based Geopolymer to Improve Soft Clay Under Different Conditions
Shams O. Abdulkareem, Jasim M. Abbas
Abstract
Soft clay soil spreads in Iraq and some countries globally; this type is usually with low compressive strength. Therefore, soft clay shows problematic behaviors. Improving soft soil with chemical additives is one of the suitable methods. Thus, the focus of this study was to investigate the usage of Metakaolin-based geopolymer in geotechnical engineering to enhance the properties of soil. Three percentages of MK were used in the present study, which are 8%, 10%, 12%, and 14%. Unconfined Compressive Strength UCS, Scanning Energy Microscopy SEM, and X-Ray Diffraction XRD had to be conducted in untreated and treated soil to illustrate the effect of MK on soil stabilization. The results show that the optimum value of strength was observed with the addition of 10% MK cured for 28 days under 80°C the strength of soil increase by 93.4 %.SEM test for treated soil altered the texture of clay soil by reducing the cracks. XRD pattern for treated soil clarified the intensity of the peaks obtained with calcite and quartz.