Dr. Puppala delivered a keynote presentation on “Ground Improvement Studies on Problematic Soils: Innovative Materials with Sustainable Applications” at Indian Geotechnical Conference (IGC) 2022.
The researchers at Texas A&M University have been studying innovative stabilization methods to address some of the prevailing problems of traditional stabilization methods. Application of metakaolin-based Geopolymers and novel silica-based admixtures with Ca-based treatments to improve problematic soil properties are presented in this paper. Micro-mechanical behavior of the stabilized soils was investigated using both engineering and mineralogical studies. Engineering studies included, strength, stiffness, moisture susceptible durability and free swell strain tests. Additionally, X-ray diffraction studies and scanning electron microscope imaging were performed to understand the microstructural behavior of the treated geomaterials. Sustainability benefits of the stabilizers were assessed using a unified framework, which subsumed the effects of embodied energy for production, environmental impacts, and socio-economic impacts of the treatment. Click here for the link to the abstract.