Grouting Soil with Dilute Suspension of Clay Nanoparticles to Improve against Wetting-Induced Collapse

Collapsible soils cover vast areas around the world and may cause severe damage to civil engineering structures. In this paper, the application of grouting clay nanoparticles for improving mechanical behavior of low permeable collapsible soils has been investigated. Dilute grout of nano-clay particles was injected into undisturbed soil columns, where oedometer specimens were acquired from the axis and the side of the grouted columns and tested after 7,14, and 18 days of curing. Results compared with soils grouted using ordinary Portland cement (OPC) revealed that clay suspensions feature high mobility in the ground and remarkable performance in reducing the collapse potential. Findings encourage the application of clay nanoparticles over cement for a sustainable, economical, and eco-friendly grouting approach to improve mechanical behavior of loose deposits.