Effect of polyvinyl acetate grout injection on geotechnical properties of fine sand

Abstract

This laboratory project aims to investigate the influence of polyvinyl acetate (PVA) grout injection on sandy soil improvement. In order to make the polymeric material injectable through the soil particles, adhesive polymer is mixed with water in certain weight percentages. Fine grained sand with different dry densities in its loose, medium and dense state, is prepared in a cylindrical mould and subjected to this polymeric grout injection. Unconfined compression tests are conducted on grouted samples after passing their curing period. Results illustrate that increasing the polymer percent in grout leads to significant compressive strength and elastic modulus enhancement. On the other hand, by increasing grout concentration, loose sand demonstrated higher compressive strength and elastic modulus improvement in comparison with medium and dense sand.

Keywords:

• grouting
• fine sand
• compressive strength
• elastic modulus
• polyvinyl acetate