This study focused on the stabilization of peat soil and its engineering and mechanical properties improvement such as shear strength, moisture content, liquid limit and shear wave velocity. Peat is considered as weak foundation soil as they have low shear strength, high compressibility and high moisture content. One of the major problems for the construction industries in Malaysia is slope instability, bearing capacity failure and excessive settlement foundation for the development of highways and buildings when its undertaken-on peatland. Malaysia contains about 3 million hectares peatland which cover 8% of its total land. Therefore, it is essential to find an appropriate way to enhance its properties and to ensure the reduction and solution of these problems can finally solve by applying the electrokinetic stabilization (EKS) method. The peat soil samples were collected from Parit Kuari, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. In the proposed technique, the voltage gradient of 110 and 150 V was applied for the period of 3 and 6 hours. Some laboratory parameters such as shear strength, moisture content (MC), liquid limit, and shear wave velocity were observed for pre as well as for post-EK. It was observed that strength was found significantly improved from 11.66 to 70 kPa, MC was reduced from 613.989 to 270.294%, liquid limit was increased from 159.261 to 217.603%, and shear wave velocity was improved from 68.5 to 110.5 m/s. A significant improvement has been observed in the physical properties of the peat soil by applying the progressive approach showing the robustness of the methodology.
Soft soil stabilization is booming with the recent land acquisition for housing as well as industrialization schemes. The rapid urbanization expelled the bounda
Objectives: Sabkha soil is widely formed in the Arabian Gulf in the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia, particularly along the coastline. Over the past 25 years, numerous studies have been conducted to understand and characterize sabkha soil and increase its strength and durability. To enhance the geotechnical properties of Sabkha soil using an environmentally friendly electrokinetic stabilization method. From a geotechnical perspective, the construction process heavily depends on improving weak soil strength, durability, and treatment cost. The presence of water, high salinity, low shear strength, and low specific gravity are the soft geotechnical features that need to be enhanced before any construction on sabkha soil. Methods/Analysis: The electrokinetic stabilization method was applied to extract salty particles and enhance the geotechnical properties of sabkha soil. The voltage gradient of 40 V was applied for 1, 3, and 7 days using stainless steel electrodes. Findings: The result showed an outstanding improvement of sabkha soil geotechnical properties where the shear strength was increased from 116 to 165, 230, and 360 kPa for Rabigh I (RI), 122 to 155, 254, and 371 kPa for Rabigh II (RII), and for Rabigh III (RIII), the shear strength was improved up to 405 kPa. The moisture content decreased from 34.5 to 16.8% for RI, 35.2 to 15.9% for RII, and 37.5 to 14.7% for RIII. Novelty and applications: Experimental results demonstrated that all parameters were improved massively by increasing the voltage gradient and operational time. This technique is highly recommended to strengthen weak soil and improve geotechnical properties. Keywords: Sabkha soil; geotechnical properties; electrokinetic stabilization