GYPSUM STABILIZATION OF ORGANIC SOIL: STRENGTH AND COMPRESSIBILITY

Nur  Ain Mustapa; Ahmad  Safuan Rashid; Wan  Hasmida Wan Hassan; Suksun  Horpibulsuk; Seyed  Ali Tabatabaei; Koichi  Isobe; Adekunle  Ganiyu

Authors

Nur Ain Mustapa School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Ahmad Safuan Rashid School of Civil Engineering, and Fellow of Centre of Tropical Geoengineering (GEOTROPIK), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Wan Hasmida Wan Hassan School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Suksun Horpibulsuk School of Civil Engineering, and Center of Excellence in Innovation for Sustainable Infrastructure Development, Suranaree University of Technology, Nakhon Ratchasima, 30000, Thailand.
Seyed Ali Tabatabaei Terracon Consultants, Inc., Midland, Texas 79707, USA.
Koichi Isobe Faculty of Engineering Field Engineering for the Environment Geotechnical and Material Engineering for Disaster Prevention, Hokkaido University, Japan.
Adekunle Ganiyu

Keywords:

Unconfined compressive strength, organic soil, gypsum, curing time, stabilization

Abstract

Organic soil exhibits poor engineering characteristics including high compressibility, high moisture content, and low strength. Its mechanical properties must be improved using a widely accepted chemical stabilization method before commencing with any engineering work. A laboratory testing program was carried out to examine the development of strength of organic soil stabilized using gypsum. The standard Proctor test was performed to determine the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content of the organic soil to prepare the stabilized samples for the unconfined compression strength (UCS) at different percentages of gypsum and curing times. Additionally, a standard oedometer test was performed at the efficient gypsum content, which yields the highest UCS. An increase in the gypsum content and curing time led to a significant increase in the UCS of the organic soil. Furthermore, the compressibility of the organic soil was significantly reduced by the addition of gypsum. Micro-level assessments were performed on stabilized soil samples at 11% of gypsum content via energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry and field emission scanning electron microscopy techniques. The pores of the stabilized soil were filled by new cementitious products, confirming that a pozzolanic reaction occurred between the organic soil and gypsum during the stabilization process and hence strength improvement.

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