Fabrication of geopolymer with recycled glass powder base and its application in modifying strength parameters for clay stabilization

Glass powder is one of the increasing solid wastes in the world and clay usually needs improvement for use in construction projects. In the present study, the modification of the toughness parameters of fine-grained soils was studied by a geopolymer based on recycled glass powder (RGP). For this purpose, uniaxial strength (UCS) and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests were performed on the modified specimens. Processing time, weight percentage of RGP use and activator concentration (M) were among the variables studied in the study. For comparison, experiments were performed on samples modified with 10% Portland cement. The results of increasing the geopolymer to soil samples showed that the optimal use of RGP is 9%. Also, except for the 0day samples in the CBR experiment, other UCS and CBR samples had the optimal amount of activator concentration (NAOH), which indicates the effect of processing conditions on the behavior of the modified soil. Examination of scanning electron imaging (SEM) images showed the effect of the correction method on soil mass. Analytical comparison of UCS and CBR experiments showed a mathematical relationship between the results of UCS and CBR-7day experiments with a good relative correlation that was expected due to the same storage conditions of the samples in the first 7 days. A slight correlation was observed in the results of UCS and CBR-0day tests due to the difference in processing conditions of the two tests in the first 7 days.