Live-scale testing of granular materials stabilized with alkali-activated waste glass and carbide lime

Abstract

The increasingly strong search for alternative materials to Portland cement has resulted in the development of alkali-activated cements (AAC) that are very effective at using industrial by-products as raw materials, which also contributes to the volume reduction in landfilled waste. Several studies targeting the development of AAC—based on wastes containing silicon and calcium—for chemical stabilization of soils have demonstrated their excellent performance in terms of durability and mechanical performance. However, most of these studies are confined to a laboratory characterization, ignoring the influence and viability of the in situ construction process and, also important, of the in situ curing conditions. The present work investigated the field application of an AAC based on carbide lime and glass wastes to stabilize fine sand acting as a superficial foundation. The assessment was supported on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and initial shear modulus (G₀) of the developed material, and the field results were compared with those prepared in the laboratory, up to 120 days curing. In situ tests were also developed on the field layers (with diameters of 450 and 900 mm and thickness of 300 mm) after different curing times. To establish a reference, the mentioned precursors were either activated with a sodium hydroxide solution or hydrated with water (given the reactivity of the lime). The results showed that the AAC-based mixtures developed greater strength and stiffness at a faster rate than the water-based mixtures. Specimens cured under controlled laboratory conditions showed better results than the samples collected in the field. The inclusion of the stabilized layers clearly increased the load-bearing capacity of the natural soil, while the different diameters produced different failure mechanisms, similar to those found in Portland cement stabilization.