Effective and Cost Effective Stabilization of Various Soils by Using Subnano Molecules

Abstract

Rains, floods, landslides and other natural disasters result in the loss of lives and property. Buildable stable land with natural load bearing capacity is scarce in most cities and construction on poor soils results in failures and devastation of structures. Soil stabilization is the process of maximizing the suitability of soil for construction purposes. Chemical Grouting is the process of injecting a solution or a mix of solutions into the soil for in situ soil stabilization. It improves stability, strength, compressibility, permeability, durability and load carrying capacities of the soil. By adopting appropriate chemical engineering and chemistry, grouts with nano particle sizes in the range of 5 to 10 nanometers have been prepared in our laboratory. These nano particles behave as a fluid and penetrate deep into the soil and then later react to form a solid, semisolid or a gel at a predetermined time. This gel is a precipitated binder of high quality at lower concentrations of reaction components. These nano particles are amorphous and since they have higher specific areas (120 - 260 m²/g) they distribute themselves evenly and bind the entire soil matrix. Laboratory tests of various combinations of the grout have been done, followed by field tests to determine the best engineering properties for soil stabilization. These nano particle grouts enhance the stability of the soils. This saves land, structures and human lives as well.