Effect of two organic chemical fluids on the mechanical properties of an expansive clay soil

Abstract

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of two organic chemical fluids (glycerol and acetone) on the mechanical behavior of an expansive clay soil. A number of experimental tests, including Atterberg limits, compaction, free swelling, unconfined compressive strength, California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and one-dimensional consolidation (loading and unloading) tests, were conducted on specimens of natural soil and soil contaminated with pure glycerol and acetone fluids at different percentages (10 %, 15 %, and 20 %) by weight. The results showed that the effect of pure glycerol on the behavior of the contaminated soil is different from acetone. Glycerol caused a reduction of Atterberg limits, free swelling, unconfined compressive strength, CBR, and optimum water content and an increase in maximum dry unit weight, while acetone showed the opposite effects. These variations of mechanical and physical behavior are a function of the percentage of glycerol or acetone. Furthermore, the results of the loading and unloading tests showed that the compression and swelling indexes are independent of the type of organic chemical fluids used. Results from scanning electron microscopy tests confirmed that the effect of glycerol on the behavior of soil is not the same as acetone.