Effectiveness of Canlite and Probase Stabilized Laterite Soil

Abstract

Besides traditional chemical stabilizers, polymer emulsion that is considered as a nontraditional chemical stabilizer had been introduced recently. Among polymer emulsions, Canlite and Probase have been widely used for soil stabilization. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of Laterite soil stabilization treated by Canlite-liquid and Probase-liquid soil stabilizers. A testing program, scheduled to achieve the overall objectives of this study was conducted to determine the basic properties of Laterite soil, establish the relationship between the compaction characteristics (maximum dry density and optimum moisture content) with the amount of polymer emulsion and last but not least to compare the strength of the Canlite-treated and Probase-treated Laterite soil. The effects of both polymer soil stabilizers – Canlite and Probase – were examined. The optimum moisture content of the mixtures was used as a reference to determine the water content for the preparation of all the specimens and later used in the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test. The laboratory test results showed that the additional amount of Canlite and Probase have improved the physical properties, liquid limit and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the Laterite soil. The compressive strength of the treated Laterite was found varied and depends on the type of stabilizers, quantity of additives and curing time. From the UCS tests, it was found that Probase improves the strength of the Laterite more than Canlite.