Journal of Engineering Geology

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Saline soils are of challengeable soils that may cause many problems in civil engineering projects. In this study, volume change behaviour of saline soils and also the effect of improvement and reinforcement on them have been investigated using laboratory tests as well as consolidation test, swelling pressure test and free swelling test. The case study is Amirkabir Highway which connects the cities Qom and Kashan.  Fifty four kilometer of this highway was deformed like waves due to existence of saline soils. The laboratory investigations showed that the studied soil has a considerable swelling potential which appears to be the main cause of damage to the highway pavement, therefore it is decided on improving the subsoil condition. The research program comprises of studying volume change behavior of saline soil, stabilized with lime and epoxy – resin polymer and reinforced with polypropylene fiber. Afterwards, results for two cases of stabilized and non-stabilized samples have been compared. According to the results, the main cause of swelling is soil disturbance and structure destruction of initial soil composition. Considering all of test conditions, it is appeared that, although lime is a traditional stabilization material but is economic for the most geotechnical projects and usage of polymer is suggested only in special applications due to its rapid setting

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Clayey soils in terms of sharp reduction in strength and swelling ability as a results of water and moisture absorption, it is considered as one of the most problematic soils in civil engineering and construction works. Nowadays, Nano materials such as Nano clay are used to improve and stabilize of clay. On the other side, the increasing volume of municipal waste and residues materials especially debris of building destruction have caused many problems in mega cities such as environmental issues due to incorrect disposal of waste material. Main propose of this research is study of possibility in effecting Nano clay and limestone powder mixture for improve geotechnical properties of Kuye Nasr clayey soil in Tabriz City. In this study, Nano clay and limestone powder in both separate and combined conditions with 5 and 10 percentage are mixed with clay. Curing of stabilized specimens have been performed in 7, 14 and 28 days. For evaluating geotechnical behavior of mixture materials some tests were performed such as Atterberg limits, Compaction, uniaxial strength and direct shear (in 1, 2 and 3 kg/cm2 vertical stress). Results show that the simultaneous effects of 5% Nano clay with 10% limestone powder with 7 days curing period in ambient temperature conditions in clay reduced plasticity index by 72%, improved graining skeleton structure, reduced void ratio of inter grains and increased shear strength by 33%.

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