Effect of Polyvinyl Acetate Stabilization on the Swelling-Shrinkage Properties of Expansive Soil

摘要

Polyvinyl acetate constitutes a class of polymers that can entirely dissolve in water to form a solution. In this study, polyvinyl acetate as a nontraditional chemical stabilizer was used in soil improvement. Laboratory tests were carried out to evaluate the effect of polyvinyl acetate on swelling-shrinkage properties of expansive soil. A series of shrink/swell tests were performed with adding polyvinyl acetate as amendment at a concentration 3 g/cm(3) to four aggregate sizes in the range of 0-0.5 mm, 0.5-1 mm, 1-2 mm, and 2-5mm and five concentrations 1.5 g/cm(3), 3 g/cm(3), 4.5 g/cm(3), 6g/cm(3), and 9g/cm(3) to soils with aggregate size in the range of 0.5-1mm for comparison of results with those of untreated soils. The results show that all the linear swelling ratio (LSWR) and linear shrinkage ratio (LSHR) values of the treated specimens decrease. SEM images and the test results indicate the achieved reduction in volume change of the soil tested using soil pore filling and particle encapsulation.