Effect of particle gradation on shear characteristics of Yellow River silt reinforced by soybean urease induced calcium carbonate precipitation
WANG Yuke1, 2, 3, WU Jie1, 2, 3, CHEN Hao1, 2, 3
(1. School of Water Conservancy and Transportation, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China; 2. National Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Major Infrastructure Testing and Rehabilitation Technology, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China;
3. Provincial and Ministerial Collaborative Innovation Center for Underground Engineering Disaster Prevention and Control, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China)
Abstract：The Yellow River silt is widely utilized as subgrade fill material; however, it exhibits low strength, poor compactability, and significant variability in particle gradation, which undermines subgrade stability in highway construction. This study employed soybean urease induced calcium carbonate precipitation (SICP) to enhance the mechanical properties of the silt. Consolidated drained triaxial shear tests were conducted, along with measurements of calcium carbonate content and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses, to investigate the influence of particle gradation, characterized by the coefficient of uniformity ( ) and the curvature coefficient ( ), as well as varying levels of cementation (uncemented, lightly cemented, and moderately cemented) on the shear characteristics of SICP-treated specimens. The following conclusions can be drawn: (1) The shear characteristics of Yellow River silt with different particle gradations is significantly improved by SICP treatment. Higher levels of cementation lead to increased shear strength and more pronounced dilatancy. (2) The reinforcement effect of SICP is notably affected by and . The peak deviator stress ( ) of the treated Yellow River silt increases with rising and initially increases before decreasing as increases. (3) The calcium carbonate content in the SICP-treated specimens is significantly influenced by and , with the highest proportion of effective calcium carbonate precipitation observed at = 5.71 and = 0.89. Considering the impact of particle gradation on the efficiency of SICP treatment, an empirical relationship has been established among the shear strength parameters, gradation parameters, and calcium carbonate content. This relationship serves as a reference for the application of SICP in reinforcing fine-grained subgrade soils.
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