Effects of using small amounts of a Petrit T, a by-product of manufacture sponge iron, to modify clayey silt soil were investigated in this study. Petrit T was added at 2%, 4% and 7% of soil dry weight. A series of unconfined compressive strength tests, consistency limits tests and pH tests were conducted at 7, 14, 28, 60 and 90 days of curing periods to evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of treated soil. Results indicated improving in the unconfined compressive strength, stiffness and workability of treated soil directly after treatment and over time. Increasing in soil density and decreasing in water content were observed, with increasing Petrit T content and curing time. The pH value was immediately increasing after treatment and then gradually decreased over time. Failure mode gradually changed from plastic to brittle behavior with increasing binder content and curing time. The outcomes of this research show a promising way of using a new by-product binder to stabilize soft soils in various engineering projects in order to reduce the costs which are associated with of excavation and transportation works.

This study presents a comparison between the effectiveness of adding low binder amounts of industrial by-product Petrit T as well as cement to modify and improve fine-grained soil. Binder amount was added by soil dry weight; cement at 1%, 2%, 4% and 7% and Petrit T at 2%, 4% and 7%. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) was used as an indicator of soil strength. In addition, the consistency limits, laser particle size analysis, and pH tests were also conducted on the treated soil. The samples were cured at 20 • C for different periods from 7 to 90 days before testing. Results indicate that cement is more effective at improving the physical and engineering properties of the treated soil. Soil plasticity index decreases after treatment and with time. Liquidity index and the water content to plastic limit ratio are introduced as new indices to define the improvement in the workability of treated soil. Soil particle size distribution is changed by reducing the clay size fraction and increasing the silt size fraction after treatment. The findings confirm that adding small binder contents improve soil properties, which subsequently reduce the environmental threats and costs that are associated with using a high amount of binder. Enhanced soil strengths, reduced soil plasticity and swelling potential are the most desirable outcomes from the treatment. For certain soil stabilization applications, the cost of the binder itself could result in a considerable saving in the overall costs of the project [24]. Petrit T is a waste product from sponge iron production [18]. It is considered a cheap by-product material [25]. Therefore, in order to decrease the environmental impact and costs, finding new binders as alternatives to Portland cement is important. Thus, there is a need to compare the effectiveness of using cement and by-product Petrit T as stabilizing agents.This paper presents a comparative evaluation between using Portland cement and by product Petrit T to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of sandy clayey silt soil. An extensive experimental program was carried out in this study, including tests of unconfined compressive strength, laser particle size, consistency limits, and pH tests, using various binder amounts and curing periods. Materials and MethodsThe samples used in this study were prepared from a natural soil from Gothenburg, south west coast of Sweden. The soil consists of 55% silt, 29% fine sand and 16% clay. The natural water content is 30%, the liquid limit 37% and the plastic limit 20%. The optimal moisture content is 12%, and the proctor density is 1.97 t/m 3 . The ignition test showed that the soil has 4% organic content. Therefore, according to the Swedish standard, natural soil is classified as sandy clayey silt (saclSi) with low organic content [26][27][28].Natural soil was firstly homogenized and then mixed with Petrit T as well as the cement in various percentage from 1 to 7% as dry mass of soil and cured for 7, 14, 28, 60 and 90 days before testing.Unconfined compressive tests (U...

This paper presents an experimental study to investigate the effect of various disintegration times on the homogeneity of pre-treated natural soil before mixing with cementitious binders. Various disintegration times were applied, ranging from 10 s to 120 s. Four different soils were used with different characteristics from high, medium and low plasticity properties. Visual and sieving assessment were used to evaluate the best disintegration times to allow for a uniform distribution of water content and small-sized particles that would produce a uniform distribution of the binder around the soil particles. Results showed that a proper mixing time to homogenize and disintegrate the soil prior to treatment depended on several factors: soil type, water content and plasticity properties. For high plasticity soil, the disintegration time should be kept as short as possible. Increasing the disintegration time ha negative effects on the uniformity of distribution of the binder around soil particles. The homogenizing and disintegration time were less important for low plasticity soils with low water content than for medium to high plasticity soils. The findings could assist various construction projects that deal with soil improvement through preparation of soil before adding a cementitious binder to ensure uniformity of distribution of the binder around soil particles and obtain uniform soil–binder mixtures.