Using Cement and Calcium Lignosulfonate to Improve the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Loess in a Seasonal Freezing Zone
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Materials
2.2. Specimen Preparation
2.3. Test Method
2.3.1. Compact Test
2.3.2. Freeze–Thaw Cycle Test
2.3.3. Unconfined Compressive Strength Test
2.3.4. XRD Test
2.3.5. SEM Test
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. MDD and OMC
3.2. Unconfined Compressive Strength Test
3.2.1. Curing Age
3.2.2. Cement Dosage
3.2.3. Freeze–Thaw Cycles
3.3. Stress–Strain Curves
3.4. Modulus of Deformation
3.5. Damage Pattern Analysis
3.6. X-ray Diffraction Test
3.7. SEM Test
- (1)
- Pore area
- (2)
- Fractal dimension and roundness
- (3)
- Roundness
3.8. Discussion
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- The addition of cement–CL can significantly improve the mechanical properties of loess, and the UCS of the soil increases with the augmentation of cement dosage and the prolongation of the curing age. It can reach up to 13 times the strength of loess at the promotion of dosing and aging. The positive effect of cement dosage on the improvement in compressive strength is greater than the curing age. When the cement dosage increases to 8% and the maintenance age reaches more than 21 days, the UCS of the soil increases significantly.
- (2)
- The freeze–thaw damage effect results in larger particle pores and a gradual shift in the particle contact pattern from face-to-face contact to point-to-face contact. The first freeze–thaw cycle causes the greatest structural damage, and the structure tends to be stable after 10 freeze–thaw cycles. The strength loss of loess specimens is as high as 72%, which can be reduced to 28% after stabilization. The addition of an appropriate amount of cement–CL significantly enhances the resistance to freeze–thaw of the soil.
- (3)
- The improvement mechanisms associated with cement–CL include particle filling, the formation of a mesh structure through hydration, the generation of stable crystals via ion-exchange reactions, and the facilitation of calcium ion by CL. Analyses of the physical phase composition, intergranular contacts, pore content, and pore arrangement corroborate the feasibility of the improvement strategy. This scheme is predicated on loess as the primary matrix, with cement hydration providing stabilizing substances and lignocellulose furnishing a calcium source to facilitate the hydration reaction process.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Natural Moisture Content /% | Natural Dry Density /g·cm3 | Liquid Limit WL /% | Plastic Limit WP /% | Liquidity Index IL | Plasticity Index IP | Optimum Moisture Content /% | Maximum Dry Density /g·cm3 | Particle Size Distribution/% | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
<5 μm | 5 μm–75 μm | 75 μm–2 mm | ||||||||
9.89 | 1.45 | 28.93 | 13.63 | −0.24 | 15.3 | 14.63 | 1.84 | 15.05 | 81.43 | 3.52 |
Initial Setting Time/min | Final Setting Time/min | Compressive Strength/MPa | Break Off Strength/MPa | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
197 | 285 | 3 d | 28 d | 3 d | 28d |
27.1 | 42.5 | 5.7 | 6.5 |
Hammer Bottom Diameter | Hammer Quality /kg | Fall Height /mm | Layer | Number of Hits per Layer | Compaction Cylinder Size | Sample Size | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Diameter /mm | Height /mm | Height /mm | Volume /cm3 | |||||
51 | 4.5 | 457 | 3 | 94 | 152 | 116 | 102 | 2103.9 |
Specimen | Cement Content (%) | CL Dosage | Water Content (%) | Freeze–Thaw Cycles | Curing Age (d) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
S0 | 0 | 0 | 14.6 | 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 | 7, 14, 21, 28 |
S4 | 4 | 0.5 | 16.5 | 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 | 7, 14, 21, 28 |
S6 | 6 | 0.5 | 17.6 | 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 | 7, 14, 21, 28 |
S8 | 8 | 0.5 | 18.4 | 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 | 7, 14, 21, 28 |
S10 | 10 | 0.5 | 19.1 | 0, 1, 5, 10, 15 | 7, 14, 21, 28 |
Parameter | S0 (Pre) | S0 (Post) | S10 (Pre) | S10 (Post) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Roundness | 1.83 | 2.36 | 1.58 | 1.76 |
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Wang, Q.; Li, Y.; Li, P.; Qi, Y. Using Cement and Calcium Lignosulfonate to Improve the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Loess in a Seasonal Freezing Zone. Buildings 2024, 14, 1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061495
Wang Q, Li Y, Li P, Qi Y. Using Cement and Calcium Lignosulfonate to Improve the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Loess in a Seasonal Freezing Zone. Buildings. 2024; 14(6):1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061495
Chicago/Turabian StyleWang, Qiusheng, Yunjie Li, Pei Li, and Yunpeng Qi. 2024. "Using Cement and Calcium Lignosulfonate to Improve the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Loess in a Seasonal Freezing Zone" Buildings 14, no. 6: 1495. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14061495