Laboratory Tests on Effectiveness of Environment-Friendly Organic Polymer on Physical Properties of Sand

Abstract

The poor water stability, high penetrability, and low antierosion of sand affect the stability of the sandy soil slope. To understand the effectiveness of environment-friendly organic polymer on these physical properties of sand, a series of laboratory tests including water stability test, penetration test, and runoff erosion test of polymer reinforced sand were performed. The results of tests indicated that the organic polymers have obvious effects on the reinforced sand. The water stability of polymer reinforced sand had been improved strongly. All the reinforced sands with polymer ≥0.3% remained a stable structure at immersing time of 24 hours. The penetrability of the reinforced sand decreased with the increase of the polymer. The reinforced sand with polymer ≥7% was impermeable. The erosion resistance of sand increased with the increase of polymer content. With the polymer ≥4%, the sand surface kept intact with the scouring time more than 2 hours. The results could be applied as the reference for organic polymer reinforced sand engineering, especially for surface protection of embankment, slope, and landfill.