ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effects of corn silk (CS) and corn starch (S) on the compaction properties, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and flexural strength (FS) of a soft clay. The morphology changes of the treated clay were assessed through microstructural investigations. The findings revealed that the combination of CS and S improved the UCS and FS of the soft clay through hydrogen bonding and fiber–soil interaction that enhanced the adhesion forces between soil particles as reflected in the appearance of a denser soil structure in VPSEM images. The optimum percentage of additives was found to be 0.5% CS and 4% S that recorded the highest UCS and FS. Contrarily, it was observed that the UCS and FS decreased with increasing percentages of additives due to the dominant fiber-fiber and polymer–polymer interaction that reduced the contact between soil particles. The statistical analysis suggests that the treatment methods and curing durations portray significantly different effects on the UCS and FS development of the soft clay. In general, the findings from this study demonstrate that CS and S can be utilized as effective stabilizers for weak soils in soil stabilization projects.

摘要

这项研究调查了玉米丝（CS）和玉米淀粉（S）对软粘土的压实特性，无侧限抗压强度（UCS）和抗弯强度（FS）的影响。通过微观结构研究评估了处理过的粘土的形态变化。研究结果表明，CS和S的组合通过氢键作用和纤维-土壤相互作用改善了软土的UCS和FS，从而增强了土壤颗粒之间的粘附力，这在VPSEM图像中表现为更致密的土壤结构。发现添加剂的最佳百分比为0.5％CS和4％S，这是最高的UCS和FS。相反，观察到，UCS和FS随着添加剂百分比的增加而降低，这是由于主要的纤维-纤维和聚合物-聚合物相互作用降低了土壤颗粒之间的接触。统计分析表明，处理方法和固化时间对软黏土的UCS和FS发育影响显着不同。总的来说，这项研究的结果表明，CS和S可以用作土壤稳定项目中弱土壤的有效稳定剂。