The effect of expanded perlite and metakaolin on the physicochemical properties of collapsible soils

Mohammad Ali  Khodabandeh; Katalin Kopecskó; Gábor Nagy

doi:10.59258/hk.17080

Mohammad Ali Khodabandeh Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6168-9687
Katalin Kopecskó Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7169-966X
Gábor Nagy Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4124-8937

Keywords: Collapsible soil, stabilization, Zeta potential, metakaolin, perlit

Abstract

Collapsible soils, such as loess, are a kind of problematic soil that is naturally unsaturated and withstands high loads at their natural moisture content, but unexpectedly collapses when wet and saturated, creating a risk to buildings constructed on it. This study highlights the effect of chemical stabilizers, including perlite and metakaolin, on the physicochemical behavior of collapsible soils, especially Zeta potential measurement, and the soil’s morphology. The properties of natural soil were compared to those of treated soil using a set of Zeta potential measurement tests. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis was used to validate the results. According to the results, perlite and metakaolin changed the loess soil properties. The results showed that the absolute Zeta potential of soils increased after adding perlite and metakaolin, which indicated a higher dispersity of soils mixed with perlite or metakaolin. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicated that untreated samples had a loose structure with extensive pores, whereas treated samples had a dense and uniform structure with particle rearrangement. The flocculation and agglomerations in the soil matrix, which are a significant contributing factor to the mechanical property enhancement of the metakaolin-stabilized samples, were confirmed by SEM images. According to the microstructure and product composition analyses, the calcium-aluminate-silicate hydrate (CASH) generated by the metakaolin enhanced cementation between the flake units of the plain soil, and the soil structure of the plain soil stabilized by the metakaolin was denser.

Author Biographies

Mohammad Ali Khodabandeh, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics

MOHAMMAD ALI KHODABANDEH was born in 1991 in Jajarm, Iran. He completed his secondary school studies at Saadi High School in Garmeh, Iran. He graduated from the Islamic Azad University of Shahrood with a degree in civil engineering at the BSc level in 2014. Then, he graduated from Shahrood University of Technology in geotechnical engineering with an MSc in 2016. Since 2019, he has been studying for his PhD at the Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, where he performs teaching and research tasks. His Ph.D. thesis is "Collapse Potential and Strength Parameters of Loess Soils." Civil engineer, geotechnical engineer, researcher, and member of the Seismological Society of America.

Katalin Kopecskó , Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics

KATALIN KOPECSKÓ, Associate Professor at the Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary. Graduated in Chemical Engineering (1990); Concrete Technology (2004); PhD degree in Civil Engineering (2006). She teaches several subjects for civil engineering students in BSc, MSc as well as PhD courses (e.g. Alkali activated materials in civil engineering). Her research fields are X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal analyses (TG/DTG/DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Zeta potential used in material science; deterioration processes and durability, clay, cement and supplementary cementitious materials, biomineralization, She is a member of the fib TG7.8; RILEM TC 302-CNC, MSZT/MB 102 (Cement and Lime); Scientific Committees of several International Conferences.

Gábor Nagy , Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics

GÁBOR NAGY was born in 1988 in Szombathely, he completed his secondary school studies at the Jurisich Miklós High School in Kőszeg. Graduated from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics with a degree in civil engineering at the BSc level in 2011 and an MSc degree in 2013. Since 2013 he has been working at BME's Department of Geotechnics, then the Department of Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, where he performs both teaching and research tasks. In 2017 he defended his PhD thesis entitled "Dispersive clays in flood protection structures". Civil engineer, geotechnical designer, member of the Hungarian Chamber of Engineers, and the Hungarian Geotechnical Association.

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