Masterarbeit (abgeschlossen)

Natascha Kallerhoff

Experimental investigation on the mechanical behaviour and possible loading induced degradation of polymer-modified fine-grained soils

Civil engineering is accompanied with the release of large amounts of climate-damaging gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The main factors are the extensive use of cement and lime, which are associated both with the release of significant carbon dioxide emissions and high energy consumption.
In geotechnical engineering, lime and cement are widely used as binders to improve the mechanical strength of soils. In the search for environmentally friendly alternatives, biopolymers were identified as potential substitutes for the conventional binders mentioned above. When dissolved in water, these polymers are present as flexible gels which can easily be mixed with soil. When dried, the polymers become non-flexible forming strong bridges between the soil elements accompanied with a significant increase of strength. However, in contrast to cement binders, there is less experience considering the mechanical strength of polymer enhanced soils.
The planned work is intended to systematically investigate the influence of mixing conditions and mineralogical composition on the strength of a polymer-modified non- and low plastic silt and silt-clay mixtures. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms of polymer-soil interactions and the resulting failure mechanisms in case of soils containing no or a rather low amount of clay minerals.