Effect of Industrial By-Products on Unconfined Compressive Strength of Solidified Organic Marine Clayey Soils

Abstract

The use of industrial by-products as admixture to ASTM Type I cement (ordinary Portland cement (OPC)) was investigated with the objective of improving the solidification of organic marine clayey soils. The industrial by-products considered in this paper were oyster-shell powder (OSP), steelmaking slag dust (SMS) and fuel-gas-desulfurized (FGD) gypsum. The industrial by-products were added to OPC at a ratio of 5% based on dry weight to produce a mixture used to solidify organic marine clayey soils. The dosage ratios of mixtures to organic marine clayey soils were 5, 10 and 15% on a dry weight basis. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test after 28 days revealed that the highest strength was obtained with the OPC + SMS 15% mixing ratio. The UCS of specimens treated with this mixture was >500 kPa, compared with 300 kPa for specimens treated with a 15% OPC + OSP mixture and 200 kPa when 15% of OPC was used alone. These results were attributed to the more active hydration and pozzolanic reaction of the OPC + SMS mixture. This hypothesis was verified through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses, and was confirmed by variations in the calcium carbonate (CaCO3) content of the materials during curing.