The Effect of Heat on the Settlement Properties of Cement-stabilized Clay Soil

Abstract

Clay soil may be subjected to heat in various applications, such as nuclear waste burial sites and high voltage transmission lines. The impact of heat on clay soil's physical and mechanical properties has been explored in previous studies. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the mechanical properties of clay soil without stabilizers, and the effect of heat on the properties of the stabilized clay soil is scarcely studied. The present paper has analyzed and studied the combined effects of heat and cement on the settlement properties of kaolinite clay soil. To conduct the study, kaolinite clay mixed with various degrees of cement was exposed to a range of 25 to 600 degrees Celcius. The results showed that the coefficient of consolidation gradually decreased by increasing heat up to the dehydroxylation point. An increase in heat up to 200 degrees Celcius resulted in increasing the coefficient of consolidation in the specimens containing cement. In specimens containing 10 percent of the cement at temperatures higher than 200 degrees Celcius, the coefficient of consolidation in room temperature decreased by 73 percent compared to kaolinite. Moreover, the void ratio increased in kaolinite specimens without cement when subjected to heat up to 400 degrees Celcius. By increasing the heat, the void ratio decreased in specimens containing 10 percent cement.