Performance Evaluation and Swelling Model of Sulfate-Bearing Soft Kaolin Clay Treated with Ordinary Portland Cement and Waste Glass Powder
Kissambinova A. Shon C.-S. Bazarbekova A. Zhang D. Satyanaga A. Kim J.R.
2026Springer
International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology
2026
Pavement construction on soils with high sulfate concentrations is a major concern for geotechnical engineers due to volumetric swelling caused by ettringite formation. Expansive ettringite minerals form when sulfate-bearing soil is stabilized with calcium-based stabilizers (CBS), such as ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and lime. Problems associated with sulfate-bearing soils led to the search for alternative soil stabilization methods. Applying pozzolanic materials or a mellowing process was developed to address soil swelling issues and enhance soil engineering properties. This study investigated the geotechnical and swelling characteristics of sulfate-bearing soft kaolin clay treated with OPC and waste glass powder (WGP). In addition, the combined effect of OPC and WGP on the stabilization of sulfate-bearing soil before and after the mellowing operation was examined. Moreover, the swelling model was developed to determine the threshold sulfate-induced swelling value. A total of 11 mixtures were created for this study, including 1 pure Kaolin clay mixture, and 10 mixtures of 4% OPC, 10% OPC, [4% OPC + 2% WGP], [4% OPC + 4% WGP], and [4% OPC + 6% WGP] before and after soil mellowing. The laboratory tests included particle size distribution, chemical analyses, determination of soil sulfate content, mineralogical analyses of stabilized soil, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and three-dimensional (3D) swelling. The UCS test samples were cured for 2,7, and 28 days. The results indicate that the UCS of soil mixtures increased with increasing WGP percentage prior to mellowing. Moreover, the mellowing process diminished the volumetric expansion of the soil mixtures treated with 4% OPC. The ranking system, based on point counts across all conducted tests, indicates that the mixtures with 10% OPC or [4% OPC + 6% WGP] were ranked first through fourth, regardless of the soil mixture’s mellowing state. Swelling modeling is applicable to soils with high sulfate concentrations; however, it is not applicable to soils after the mellowing process, as volumetric changes are lower.
3-D swelling , Mellowing process , Ordinary portland cement , Soil stabilization , Swelling threshold value , Waste Glass powder
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan
Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A & M University, College Station, 77843, TX, United States
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026