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Study on the differential disintegration mechanism of water glass cured sandy soil: analysis from the perspective of the coexistence state of gel and particles

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Abstract

In the field of geotechnical engineering, many researchers have studied the disintegration of wet geotechnical bodies, but few have investigated the disintegration of sandy soils cured with water glass. In this study, the effects of modulus and Baume degree on the consolidation rate, particle size structure, pore size structure and gel state of sandy soils cured with water glass were investigated. The disintegration of cured specimens with different compositions was analyzed and discussed from the microscopic point of view. The results of the study show that the time required for consolidation of cured sandy soil decreased with increasing modulus and Baume degree. The Baume degree and modulus of sodium silicate affected the particle size and pore size structure of solidified soil. Due to differences in pore size and particle size structure, the disintegration of the specimens differed. For the samples with high Baume degree, their strength is high, but their water stability is poor, and the maximum disintegration degree is 95.72%. The sample with low Baume degree has low strength, but the water stability is good under the immersion condition, and the disintegration rate is less than 10%. The disintegration mechanism of solidified specimens was analyzed from the aspects of particle size, pore size structure and gel state. It is suitable to use water glass with high Baume degree in projects with dry environment and requiring high strength, while water glass with low Baume degree can be used for curing in wet environment.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 42090054 and 42107211). This study was also supported by the State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection Independent Research Project (No. SKLGP2020Z005). The authors would also like to thank the journal editor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Environment Protection, Chendu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Guoqing Chen, Yitian Xu, Yan Zhang & Ming Yan

  2. School of Geological Engineering and Geomatics, Chang’an University, **’an, 710054, China

    Yitian Xu

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  1. Guoqing Chen
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Correspondence to Yan Zhang.

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Chen, G., Xu, Y., Zhang, Y. et al. Study on the differential disintegration mechanism of water glass cured sandy soil: analysis from the perspective of the coexistence state of gel and particles. Acta Geotech. 19, 2191–2212 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-023-02002-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-023-02002-3

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