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Poorly Ordered Silica and Aluminosilicates as Temporary Cementing Agents in Hard‐Setting Soils
Author(s) -
Chartres C. J.,
Kirby J. M.,
Raupach M.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1990.03615995005400040022x
Subject(s) - aluminosilicate , ultimate tensile strength , compressive strength , soil water , chemistry , ammonium oxalate , oxalate , materials science , chemical engineering , mineralogy , nuclear chemistry , composite material , geology , organic chemistry , soil science , engineering , catalysis
Hard‐setting is an important but poorly understood phenomenon in seasonally wetting and drying soils. This study was conducted to determine the role, if any, of chemical cementing agents in a hard‐setting soil. Undisturbed cores from the E horizon of an Aeric Albaqualf were leached in the laboratory with distilled water, 0.15 M ammonium oxalate (pH 3.0 in darkness) and 2 M NaOH/ethylene glycol. The leachates were analyzed for Si, Al, and Fe and the residual materials by infrared spectroscopy. After drying at 40 °C, tensile, shear, and compressive strengths of the cores were determined. All three reagents caused a total loss of tensile strength and decreased shear strength, but had little effect on compressive strength. Amorphous silica is probably the major cementing agent, but the results also indicate that an imogolite‐like aluminosilicate, a feldspathoid mineral, and possibly silica‐Fe complexes may play some part in cementation.