Performance of cement-stabilized weak subgrade for highway embankment construction in Southeast Nigeria

Soils with poor shear strength and high compressibility underlie the wetlands of southern Nigeria. They are susceptible to intolerable settlements and account for greater than 60% of the soils in the region. While requiring embankments for any infrastructure construction, these weak soils pose significant threat to the construction and service life of highway pavements in southeastern Nigeria. Therefore, this research investigates shear strength improvement of a highway embankment’s weak subgrade soil after mass stabilization of soil with 6 and 10% Portland cement. The factor of safety against shear failure of the embankment was analyzed for un-stabilized subgrade and then cement-stabilized subgrade. The analysis was carried out for embankment heights of 4, 5, 6 and 7 m using the limit equilibrium method. Thick soft clayey silt with Cu range of 9 to 15 kPa underlay the embankment, upon improvement, the Cu of 154 and 208 kPa was obtained for 6 and 10% stabilization respectively. The FoS for the embankment on Un-stabilized soil ranged from 0.88 for a 7 m embankment to 1.2 for a 4 m embankment. The FoS after mass stabilization of 1 to 5 m soil ranged between 1.77 and 5.22 for the different embankment heights. Stability was better improved as depth of mass stabilization and cement content increased. A linear relationship was observed to exist between the cement content, strength of the improved soils, stabilization depth and the factor of safety.

Response analysis of subgrade soils using signal phase shift obtained from laboratory lightweight deflectometer tests

Over the past decades, the use of fast and reliable measurement techniques of soil mechanical properties has gained popularity. The lightweight deflectometer (LWD) is among the tools developed that can allow one to determine the elastic modulus of soil. Viscosity response components in pavement or soil typically induce phase shifts between stress and strain peaks, which can be translated to phase angle. Subgrade soil may exhibit varying response types depending on its nature and characteristics. Using large laboratory subgrade samples, an experiment was designed to measure the elastic modulus and phase angle with an LWD in different stress and humidity conditions. A model associating the elastic modulus inferred from LWD tests with parameters describing stress, water content and soil properties was proposed. This model is fundamentally inferred from the relationship between elastic modulus and phase shift, and was used to assess the relative contribution of varying conditions on soil stiffness.

Numerical Simulation Analysis of Hydrothermal Change of Subgrade by Seepage Drainage Geogrid Under the Effect of Asphalt Mixture Freeze-Thaw Action

In seasonal frozen soil area, the engineering problems caused by the excessive moisture content of the subgrade soil are widespread. In view of this phenomenon, author proposes to employ a new type of research and development of the seepage drainage geogrid (SDG) to cool and drain the soil. Through indoor model test, after two freeze-thaw cycles, the experimental comparison of the size and laying method of various SDG was carried out. The test result shows that the model with a natural grit layer has the most drainage effect. While, the model contains two layers of interconnected grilles has the best cooling effect. The indoor model test is simulated by accurate numerical simulation. The simulation results are compared with the indoor test results. The fitting results of the two results are very high, which provides theoretical support and data guarantee for the application of seepage drainage grille to strengthen the roadbed in the cold road.