Improvement of water-stability of clay aggregates admixed with aqueous polymer soil stabilizers

Aqueous soil stabilizers improve soil properties. Water-stability of soil aggregates was determined using two different soil stabilizers: S-type and E-type. Various concentrations of the two soil stabilizers were tested in soil aggregates that were bigger than 5 mm but smaller than 10 mm. Testing the aggregates using the static water-measure method showed that the water-stability index, K, increased with the concentrations of soil stabilizers. S-type soil stabilizer in concentrations ranging between 20% and 40% resulted in K-values between 64.0% and 83.8%, and E-type polymer emulsions in concentrations between 3% and 7% resulted in K-values between 90.1% and 99.7% respectively. The soil aggregates admixed with water resulted in a K-value of 11.5%, which was tested as a control. Two aggregate collapse models were found and discussed based on the collapse characteristics of the modified aggregates: S-type soil stabilizer in low concentrations follows a gradual collapse pattern, while S-type stabilizer in high concentrations and E-type stabilizer in low concentrations follow an explosive collapse pattern. These patterns depend on the formation of a membrane structure on the surface of the aggregates through physicochemical bonding. By identifying the mechanisms of the membrane structure and calculating the K-values, significant information on the improvement of soil properties can be determined.