Open AccessCOMPRESSIBLITY OF PEAT SOIL IMPROVED WITH POLYURETHANE
Author(s) -
Ismacahyadi Bagus Mohamed Jais,
Diana Che Lat,
Tengku Nur Dalila Tengku Endut
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
malaysian journal of civil engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1823-7843
DOI - 10.11113/mjce.v31n1.545
Subject(s) - oedometer test , peat , void ratio , compressibility , consolidation (business) , geotechnical engineering , water content , bearing capacity , soil science , materials science , environmental science , soil water , geology , engineering , ecology , accounting , aerospace engineering , business , biology
This research investigated the compressibility of natural peat soil and peat soil improved with polyurethane foam. High natural moisture content, high compressibility, low bearing capacity and medium to low permeability is a problem and characteristic of a peat soil. This problem can be solved by reducing the compressibility of the peat soil. The objective of this study is mainly to prove whether the presence of polyurethane foam as a lightweight material on peat soil can reduce the compressibility of peat soil or otherwise. Fifteen samples of peat soil taken from Johan Setia, Klang were tested using Oedometer test with load is doubled at each increment until it reaches the maximum required load which is 10kPa, 20kPa, 40kPa, 80kPa, 160kPa, 320kPa and 640kPa. Polyurethane foam is a lightweight material, therefore reduces the overburden pressure to the underlying soil, hence future settlement can be minimized to a tolerable settlement value. Based on the data obtained from analysis of Oedometer test, the compressibility parameters including void ratio, compression index and swelling index of the peat soil alone are very high which denoted extremely poor condition of the peat soil. The compressibility parameters improved significantly with the PU foam stabilization as PU act as a void filler for peat soil. A slight increase in the compressibility parameters are recorded with higher ratio of isocyanate. However, the maximum pre-consolidation pressure recorded was with PU ratio of 1:1. Therefore, the optimum ratio for PU peat stabilization is in the ratio of 1:1.