Evaluation of freeze-thaw behavior of ground granulated blast furnace slag stabilized bentonite subgrade soils

Abstract

This study investigated the freeze-thaw resistance of road subgrade soils stabilized with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Within the experimental program, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests were conducted on pure bentonite and GGBFS-blended samples following standard Proctor tests and a seven-day curing period. The results indicated that GGBFS addition increased strength, with the optimum performance achieved at a 15% additive ratio. To evaluate freeze-thaw durability, pure and 15% GGBFS-stabilized samples were subjected to 3, 6, and 12 cycles (-23 °C freezing and +23 °C thawing). It was found that 15% GGBFS increased the strength by 2.66 times compared to unstabilized soil. Strength and weight losses increased with the number of cycles, reaching 66.51% and 2.03%, respectively, after 12 cycles. The findings demonstrate that GGBFS, an industrial by-product, is an effective and sustainable stabilizer for bentonite subgrades in regions exposed to seasonal freeze-thaw cycles.

Keywords

• Bentonite
• Freeze-Thaw
• GGBFS
• Soil Stabilization
• Transportation Geotechnics.

Yüksek fırın cürufu ile stabilize edilmiş bentonit yol taban zeminlerinin donma-çözülme davranışının değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışma, öğütülmüş yüksek fırın cürufu (ÖYFC) ile stabilize edilmiş yol taban zeminlerinin donma-çözülme direncini araştırmıştır. Deneysel program kapsamında saf bentonit ve farklı oranlarda ÖYFC içeren numuneler üzerinde, standart Proktor testi ve 7 günlük kür süresini takiben serbest basınç mukavemeti (SBM) testleri yapılmıştır. En yüksek mukavemet artışı %15 katkı oranında elde edilmiştir. Donma-çözülme performansını belirlemek amacıyla, saf ve %15 ÖYFC içerikli numunelere 3, 6 ve 12 döngü uygulanmıştır (-23 °C donma, +23 °C çözülme). Sonuçlar, %15 ÖYFC katkısının mukavemeti 2,66 kat artırdığını göstermiştir. Döngü sayısı arttıkça mukavemet ve ağırlık kayıpları da artmış; 12 döngü sonunda mukavemet kaybı %66,51, ağırlık kaybı ise %2,03 olarak kaydedilmiştir. Bulgular, bir endüstriyel yan ürün olan ÖYFC'nin, özellikle donma-çözülme döngülerine maruz kalan bölgelerdeki yol altyapılarında bentonitli zeminlerin stabilizasyonu için etkin ve sürdürülebilir bir malzeme olduğunu kanıtlamıştır.

Keywords

• Bentonit
• Donma-çözülme
• ÖYFC
• Zemin stabilizasyonu
• Ulaştırma geotekniği.

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