Tests of ionic soil stabilizer reinforcing expansive soil

Abstract

Ionic soil stabilizer was used to reinforce expansive soil and improve its working performance. 4 groups of stabilized soil with different mixture proportion were designed to investigate the effects of improvement. The expansibility and strength of stabilized soils were studied through a series of tests. The chemical composition, cation exchange capacity, microstructure and BET surface area were tested and analyzed as well. It was found that the total swelling and shrinking percentage and the plasticity index decreased significantly. The compressive strength of stabilized soil and its stability in water were effectively improved. It was also found that the cation exchange capacity and BET surface area of swelling soil decreased by mixing ISS into it. The microstructure of swelling soil was changed from layered structure to grainy one by adding a certain dosage of ISS and lime into it.