Micaceous sand is considered vulnerable and inadequate for the construction of earthen structures especially as pavements and embankments because of its high compressibility, low compactability, and reduced shear strength. Several researchers summarize that the presence of more than 10% mica is not preferred in any earthen structures subjected to repeated loading conditions. The presence of mica imposes severe undesirable characteristics such as particle breakage, resilient or rebound nature, and non-uniform void creations. These characteristics pose significant challenges in constructing roads, building foundations, earth dams, and other geotechnical structures. Consequently, efficient and appropriate stabilization techniques are essential to enable the use of micaceous sand in construction practices. This paper explores the use of bentonite clay slurry to enhance the geotechnical properties of artificial micaceous sand prepared by mixing Ennore sand with 15% mica powder subjected to different degrees of crushing under repeated compaction. The study evaluates the variation in grain size distribution and shear strength characteristics of micaceous sand at various crushing stages under untreated as well as after being treated with bentonite slurry at varying percentages (0, 2, 4, and 6%) by weight of micaceous sand. Results suggested that the dry unit weight of the sample increased with repeated compaction effort up to the third cycle, after which there was a marginal change in the dry unit weight signifying the achievement of a stable state after undergoing particle breakage for a given compaction energy. The bentonite-treated micaceous sand showed an enhanced shear behavior as compared to that of untreated micaceous sand at different degrees of crushing. The highly crushed micaceous sand required a lesser percentage of bentonite than uncrushed micaceous sand. This difference can be attributed to the fact that mica maintains greater resilience in its uncrushed state, while its resilient properties are significantly diminished with increased crushing.

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Enhancing the Geotechnical Characteristics of Pre-crushed Micaceous Sand Using Bentonite

  • S. Anjali,
  • K. Gunashekar,
  • P. Seethalakshmi

摘要

Micaceous sand is considered vulnerable and inadequate for the construction of earthen structures especially as pavements and embankments because of its high compressibility, low compactability, and reduced shear strength. Several researchers summarize that the presence of more than 10% mica is not preferred in any earthen structures subjected to repeated loading conditions. The presence of mica imposes severe undesirable characteristics such as particle breakage, resilient or rebound nature, and non-uniform void creations. These characteristics pose significant challenges in constructing roads, building foundations, earth dams, and other geotechnical structures. Consequently, efficient and appropriate stabilization techniques are essential to enable the use of micaceous sand in construction practices. This paper explores the use of bentonite clay slurry to enhance the geotechnical properties of artificial micaceous sand prepared by mixing Ennore sand with 15% mica powder subjected to different degrees of crushing under repeated compaction. The study evaluates the variation in grain size distribution and shear strength characteristics of micaceous sand at various crushing stages under untreated as well as after being treated with bentonite slurry at varying percentages (0, 2, 4, and 6%) by weight of micaceous sand. Results suggested that the dry unit weight of the sample increased with repeated compaction effort up to the third cycle, after which there was a marginal change in the dry unit weight signifying the achievement of a stable state after undergoing particle breakage for a given compaction energy. The bentonite-treated micaceous sand showed an enhanced shear behavior as compared to that of untreated micaceous sand at different degrees of crushing. The highly crushed micaceous sand required a lesser percentage of bentonite than uncrushed micaceous sand. This difference can be attributed to the fact that mica maintains greater resilience in its uncrushed state, while its resilient properties are significantly diminished with increased crushing.