Investigating engineering properties of cemented cohensive soils as foundation support

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The rapid growth of the energy and construction industries of Western Canada has resulted in dramatic land use in dense urban regions. Areas and properties with poor soil conditions are inevitably encountered in many development projects. As a result, remedial solutions to overcome the difficult construction on poor-quality ground are critical. Deep soil mixing (DSM), which mixes the soil in situ with cementitious agents, has the advantages in the construction rate and cost. However, DSM has not been widely adopted by Canada's construction industry, perhaps due to concerns with the mechanical and hydraulic performance of DSM-treated soils in the areas where the cold-environment exposure is of concerns. Research on cemented cohesive soils subjected to Freeze-Thaw (f-t) cycles has been scarce. Consequently, fundamental engineering behaviour of cemented cohesive soils under f-t cycles has not been clearly understood and the DSM technique in cohesive soil sites of Canada has not been practically applied. The proposed program will investigate the mechanical and hydraulic behaviour of cemented cohesive soils (or soilcrete) without or with f-t exposure, and qualitatively characterize the microstructure changes in soilcrete specimens at various curing ages with f-t exposure. The proposal will be partnered with Keller Canada Ltd., which has been playing a major role in the practice and research of DSM technique. The proposed program consists of three tasks in three-year duration. We will train one PhD and two MSc students and conduct destructive or non-destructive tests. By investing in this project, the industrial partner will maintain the leadership in the ground improvement industry. The energy infrastructure and construction industry of Canada will benefit from the provision of a ground improvement technique that is suitable to the cold temperature.