Some Geotechnical Properties of Clay Nanocomposites

Abstract

Clay soils have various areas of use in geotechnical engineering. The common use of clayey soils are for landfills, dams, nuclear plants, etc. However, when the clay soils interact with water, the geotechnical properties such as the swelling, the shear strength, and the compressibility properties of clay change gradually. Therefore, in this research, using a hydrophobic organo-clay, polymers (locust bean gum, latex, glycerine, and vinyl acrylic copolymer), and rubber powder, clay-nanocomposites were developed to solve the problems due to the clay-water interaction encountered in the clay liners. This study focuses on the geotechnical properties of the clay-nanocomposites researched experimentally in laboratory conditions. The test results found that, the specific gravities, consistency limits, compaction parameters, and unconfined compressive strengths of clay-nanocomposites change significantly, when compared to those of natural clay and hydrophobic organo-clay.