Biopolymer-based soil treatment (BPST) has recently been introduced as a new ground improvement method for environmentally friendly and sustainable development. Numbers of research have investigated BPST effects on the soil hydraulic conductivity, while there are lack of studies considering in-situ stress (i.e. vertical confinement and groundwater pressure) conditions. In this study, the effect of gellan gum BPST on the hydraulic conductivity behavior of sands was assessed using a pressurized permeability test apparatus which allows separate vertical confinement and pore pressure control. The hydraulic conductivity of gellan gum biopolymer-treated sands were measured with different biopolymer contents, vertical confinement levels, and pore water pressure conditions. Laboratory test results show that the hydraulic conductivity of gellan gum-treated sands attribute to 1) biopolymer-particle bonding, 2) biopolymer hydrogel induced pore-clogging, and 3) hydrogel alteration due to pore pressure increase, where gellan gum BPST is postulated to be an effective manner for ground hydraulic conductivity control in geotechnical engineering practice.
Key Words
effective stress; gellan gum; hydraulic conductivity; pore-clogging; water pressure
Address
Thi-Phuong-An Tran and Tran Thanh Nhan — Department of Hydrogeological and Geotechnical Engineering, University of Sciences, Hue University, 77 Nguyen Hue, Vietnam
Ilhan Chang — Department of Civil Systems Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon 16499, Korea
Minhyeong Lee — Disposal Performance Demonstration Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Daejeon 34057, Republic of Korea
Gye-Chun Cho — Department of Civil Engineering, Korean Advanced Institute for Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea
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