STRENGTH PERFORMANCE ON STABILISATION OF SARAWAK SOILS USING GEOCRETE® TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

This paper presents a study on the stabilisation performance of Sarawak soils using GeoCrete® Technology. GeoCrete is used for stabilisation treatments where the soils are treated with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) as a binder and GeoCrete® powder (GCP) as an alkaline additive to improve their strength and elasticity. The use of GCP in soil stabilisation was proven to improve the compressive strength of soils by more than twice the initial strength after 28 days of being treated, with the treatments carried out on three identified soils: Clay, silt and sand. This technique has been successfully implemented on farm roads, rural roads and highways. Thus, further investigation of stabilisation with GCP was conducted on peat, which is known as a material with high permeability and low bearing capacity behaviour. The peat samples collected are mixed at a designated percentage of OPC and 2% of GCP. The compacted and treated peat samples with OPC and GCP were prepared at the optimum moisture content, mixed thoroughly to a uniform condition using a laboratory mixer and air cured for 7 and 28 days in a single batch. The results showed that peat stabilised with GCP has an average of more than 40% of the unconfined compressive strength, qu value after 28 days of curing when compared with peat at the natural state.