Permeability Characteristics of Polymer Emulsion-Stabilized Soils

Abstract

A research study was designed and conducted to investigate the effect of polymer emulsion treatment on permeability characteristics of subgrade soils. A commercially available polymer emulsion was used to stabilize cohesionless and cohesive soils, and an attempt was made to understand the impact of polymer dosage and curing time on the permeability characteristics of treated soils. A double-walled triaxial test setup was used to measure the hydraulic conductivity of untreated and treated soils. The changes in the microstructure of the polymer emulsion treated cohesionless soil specimens were examined using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) imaging. The laboratory test results indicated that polymer treatment decreased the hydraulic conductivity of the soil, and the degree of reduction in hydraulic conductivity was more prominent at higher dosages and longer curing periods. The SEM images of untreated and treated soil specimens corroborated the change in hydraulic conductivity before and after chemical treatment.