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Mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced, chemically stabilized dredged sludge

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Abstract

In order to improve the mechanical properties of dredged sludge, short polypropylene fibers were used as physical reinforcement, while cement and fly ash were used as chemical stabilizers. Different mass percentages of fiber (i.e., 0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.8%), cement (i.e., 15%, 20%, and 25%), and fly ash (i.e., 15% and 30%) were added to dredged sludge at two initial high water contents (i.e., 92% and 120%) and evaluated using physical experiments. The unconfined compression test was performed on samples after curing them for 28 days. The results show that inclusion of cement and fly ash can significantly increase the dry density and reduce the water content of dredged sludge after curing, consequently enhancing the unconfined compressive strength (UCS). It is found that chemical stabilization can increase the stiffness and brittleness of dredged sludge. However, excessively high fly ash fraction in the mix inhibits strength development in cement-stabilized dredged sludge. The inclusion of fiber decreases the initial stiffness and enhances the UCS, strain at failure, and residual strength of dredged sludge. The UCS increases with fiber content and then decreases slightly, with the optimal fiber content being 0.1%. Fiber reinforcement generates a distinct transition zone in the stress–strain curve, which enlarges with increasing fiber content. The contribution of fiber reinforcement to the strength of dredged sludge is more pronounced at relatively lower water content. The inclusion of fiber can temper the brittleness of chemical-stabilized dredged sludge with more ductile behavior by inducing a ‘bridging’ effect. This effect helps in reducing loading-induced cracking of the stabilized sludge.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 41572246 and 41772280), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (grant nos. BK20171228 and BK20170394), National Natural Science Foundation of China for Excellent Young Scholars (grant no. 41322019), Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41230636), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, 163 Xianlin Avenue, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Hong-Sheng Wang, Chao-Sheng Tang, Kai Gu, Bin Shi & Hilary I. Inyang

  2. University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

    Hilary I. Inyang

Authors
  1. Hong-Sheng Wang
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  2. Chao-Sheng Tang
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  3. Kai Gu
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  4. Bin Shi
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  5. Hilary I. Inyang
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Contributions

Hong-Sheng Wang conducted the experiments and wrote the manuscript. Chao-Sheng Tang and Shi Bin interpreted the results and revised the manuscript. Kai Gu analyzed the data and plotted the figures. Hilary I. Inyang contributed to the structure organization and data analysis.

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Correspondence to Chao-Sheng Tang.

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Wang, HS., Tang, CS., Gu, K. et al. Mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced, chemically stabilized dredged sludge. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79, 629–643 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01580-5

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