Stabilization of Loess Using Nano-SiO2

Materials

Jianbing Peng¹  Fanyu Zhang²  Ran Kong²  Gonghui Wang³ 

[1] Department of Geological Engineering, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710054, China;MOE Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Disaster and Environment in Western China, Department of Geological Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China;Research Center on Landslides, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan;

关键词: loess;    nano-SiO2;    strength enhancement;    structure modification;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ma11061014

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Improving the performance of loess is of significant importance for lowering its collapsibility and water sensitivity to construction requirements and for geohazard mitigation. The present paper studies the changes in mechanical, structural, and mineralogical properties of nano-SiO2-treated loess with different contents and curing days. The mechanical behavior was examined by unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of untreated and treated loess. To better understand the mechanisms of stabilization, particle size distributions, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were carried out. The results show that the UCS increase with increasing contents and curing days due to nano-SiO2 addition produced coarser particles, denser packing, and smaller pores in treated loess. The changes in the properties can be attributed to the formation of aggregation and agglomeration, with greater particle sizes and more interparticle contact. In addition, the results from mineralogical component analysis further confirm that physical structure modification controls the changes in mechanical and fabric properties, rather than chemical component alteration. Even small nano-SiO2 additions can also provide great improvement when curing days are enough for the treated loess. These findings reveal that nano-SiO2 has the potential to serve as a cost-effective stabilized additive that treats the universal loess.

【 授权许可】

Unknown