COMPACTION CHARACTERISTICS OF SOFT SOIL STABILIZED WITH LIME AND METAKAOLIN-BASED GEOPOLYMER


Wassıe T. A., Demir G.

INTERNATIONAL REFEREED JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES, vol.0, no.19, pp.10-18, 2023 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of lime and metakaolin-based geopolymer on soft soil's compaction characteristics. Method: The compaction was done using an automatic soil compactor according to the ASTM-D698 testing procedure. The geopolymer synthesis was prepared in the ratio of 5%,10% and 15% of the dry weight of the soil using sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate alkali activators. In addition, lime was added in amounts of 6% of the soil's dry weight. Findings: It was discovered that soft soil had an optimum moisture content (OMC) of 26% and a maximum dry density (MDD) of 1.52 g/cm3.However, lime-treated soil has a maximum dry density of 1.47 g/cm3 and an optimum moisture content of 27%. The maximum dry density of the 15% geopolymer-treated soft soil was higher than the soft soil, which was approximately 1.53g/cm3. Conclusion: A reduced maximum dry density and higher optimum moisture content were observed in the soil treated with a lime and geopolymer mixture. The metakaolin-based geopolymer treatment increased the maximum dry density and decreased the optimum moisture content.