Effect of polymer emulsion on the bearing capacity of aeolian sand under extreme confinement conditions

Abstract

An experimental investigation, aimed at evaluating the improvement of aeolian sand (from Saudi Arabia) when treated with low dosages of a vinyl acrylic (a polymer emulsion), is reported in this paper. Special attention is devoted to the influence of the lateral confinement, particularly in terms of compaction and bearing capacity (represented by CBR), for which a modification of the standard test has been developed trying to simulate extreme confinement conditions. Experimental results demonstrate that this kind of chemical stabilizers can be considered as a suitable alternative for these materials. The main modifications induced in the sand by this additive are highlighted and quantified by means of the modification achieved for different geotechnical properties as well as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) analyses.

Competition between nucleation and confinement in the crystallization of poly(ethylene glycol)/ large aspect ratio hectorite nanocomposites

“…4 Polymers can be confined in one dimension (ultra-thin films, nanolayers, nanoscopic phases within block copolymers), two dimensions (nanocylinders in AAO templates or strongly segregated block copolymers) or three dimensions (3D micro or nano domains within blends, block copolymers, etc.). 5 The behavior of polymers in restricted space can be dramatically different than in bulk 6 , in particular when nanodomains reach sizes comparable to the radius of gyration of the chains. Thermal transitions in confined polymers change according to the level of confinement, as well as crystal orientation.…”

Experimental Study on the Wind Erosion Resistance of Aeolian Sand Solidified by Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP)

“…Among them, 36 were treated with MICP curing and 4 were loose sand. The test set the loading height of aeolian sand at 2.5 cm and calculated that the sand required for each sand table was 1050.9 g, and that the volume was 724.78 cm 3 . Seventy milliliters of bacterial solution was evenly sprayed to the surface of aeolian sand using a handheld sprayer.…”

“…Therefore, it is urgent to implement wind prevention and sand solidification. Traditional sand fixation methods include mechanical sand fixation [ 1 ], plant sand fixation [ 2 ], and chemical sand fixation [ 3 ]. However, these methods have disadvantages such as a long construction period, high cost, and environmental pollution.…”

Mechanical stabilization of aeolian sand with ceramic brick waste aggregates

“…Moreover, the compaction of this material is extremely difficult, because usually a clear optimum moisture content cannot be found in its compaction curves and even a minimum dry density value can appear at very low water contents [1]. In general, for aeolian sands reported in the literature, the maximum dry density varies between 1.642 and 1.765 g/cm 3 , and the corresponding optimum moisture content is between 11.0 and 14.5 % [1]. Besides, the on-site bearing capacity of aeolian sand is usually not sufficient for most geotechnical engineering applications and therefore the use of alternative materials has to be considered.…”