Unconfined Compressive Strength and Microscopic Structure Characteristics of Cement Treated Peat Subjected to Crushing and Re-Constitution

Abstract

A cement-based stabilizer is effective in stabilizing the peat soft ground with extremely high compressibility and low shear strength for road construction. Moreover, the stabilized peat soil is occasionally fractured and reused in embankments, depending on the construction site conditions. In such circumstances, the stabilized peat soil is subjected to stress history owing to stabilization, crushing, and reconstitution. In this study, to evaluate the implication in engineering, the fractured stabilized soil sample was used to conduct unconfined compression (UC), mercury intrusion porosimeter (MIP), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests to measure the strength and microscopic structural characteristics. Additionally, the peat characteristics of the stabilized fractured soil that had undergone the stress history of “stabilization, crushing, and reconstitution” were analyzed. The results indicated that the period from immediately after the stabilization treatment to crushing and reconstitution and the curing period after crushing and reconstitution influenced the unconfined compressive strength of the soil. In addition, the strength of the stabilized fractured soil was higher than that of the soil that underwent regular stabilization. The outcomes of this study are beneficial for construction sites where it is desirable to minimize the environmental impact by reducing the amount of cement-based stabilizer added or where quality control and a good workability of solidified soil are required.