Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils
The treatment of soil with biopolymers has demonstrated various benefits, including strength enhancement, reduction in the permeability coefficient, and promotion of vegetation. Consequently, numerous experiments have been conducted to evaluate the strength of biopolymer-treated soils. This study ai...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Polymer Testing |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941825001424 |
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| author | Sangbeen Lee Jae-Eun Ryou Tae-Hyuk Kwon Jongwon Jung |
| author_facet | Sangbeen Lee Jae-Eun Ryou Tae-Hyuk Kwon Jongwon Jung |
| author_sort | Sangbeen Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The treatment of soil with biopolymers has demonstrated various benefits, including strength enhancement, reduction in the permeability coefficient, and promotion of vegetation. Consequently, numerous experiments have been conducted to evaluate the strength of biopolymer-treated soils. This study aims to evaluate the interparticle bonding strength attributed to the biopolymer network formed between soil particles, focusing on the strength characteristics at the particle scale. Agar gum, a thermo-gelling biopolymer, was selected to assess the strength of biopolymer solutions. Experiments were conducted at concentrations of 2 %, 4 %, and 6 % with varying drying times to account for the differences in water content. The bonding, tensile, and shear strengths of the agar gum polymer solutions were evaluated under different loading conditions. To compare the strengths and meaningful trends observed in the agar gum polymer solution under different conditions. The results demonstrated that for all strength conditions involving the agar gum solution, the strength increased with higher concentrations and lower water content. During the particle size test, the bonding strength was improved up to 160 kPa, and the tensile strength of the agar gum polymer itself was observed to be up to 351 kPa. Furthermore, the UCS test results of the silica sand mixed with agar gum showed an improvement up to 1419 kPa. Among the evaluated strengths, the tensile strength was the highest, whereas the shear strength was the lowest. A comparison between the adhesive strength tests, which evaluated the strength characteristics at the soil particle scale, and the UCS of silica sand mixed with an agar gum solution revealed a similar trend. The shear strength increased consistently with drying time across all concentration conditions, which was consistent with the trends observed in the UCS. These findings suggest that the strength characteristics of soils treated with agar gum solutions can be effectively predicted and utilized for ground improvement applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-abe1d9cea0ad4c05839657941f3dca05 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1873-2348 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymer Testing |
| spelling | doaj-art-abe1d9cea0ad4c05839657941f3dca052025-08-20T02:15:11ZengElsevierPolymer Testing1873-23482025-07-0114810882810.1016/j.polymertesting.2025.108828Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soilsSangbeen Lee0Jae-Eun Ryou1Tae-Hyuk Kwon2Jongwon Jung3School of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk 28644, South KoreaSchool of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk 28644, South KoreaDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Republic of KoreaSchool of Civil Engineering, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk 28644, South Korea; Corresponding author.The treatment of soil with biopolymers has demonstrated various benefits, including strength enhancement, reduction in the permeability coefficient, and promotion of vegetation. Consequently, numerous experiments have been conducted to evaluate the strength of biopolymer-treated soils. This study aims to evaluate the interparticle bonding strength attributed to the biopolymer network formed between soil particles, focusing on the strength characteristics at the particle scale. Agar gum, a thermo-gelling biopolymer, was selected to assess the strength of biopolymer solutions. Experiments were conducted at concentrations of 2 %, 4 %, and 6 % with varying drying times to account for the differences in water content. The bonding, tensile, and shear strengths of the agar gum polymer solutions were evaluated under different loading conditions. To compare the strengths and meaningful trends observed in the agar gum polymer solution under different conditions. The results demonstrated that for all strength conditions involving the agar gum solution, the strength increased with higher concentrations and lower water content. During the particle size test, the bonding strength was improved up to 160 kPa, and the tensile strength of the agar gum polymer itself was observed to be up to 351 kPa. Furthermore, the UCS test results of the silica sand mixed with agar gum showed an improvement up to 1419 kPa. Among the evaluated strengths, the tensile strength was the highest, whereas the shear strength was the lowest. A comparison between the adhesive strength tests, which evaluated the strength characteristics at the soil particle scale, and the UCS of silica sand mixed with an agar gum solution revealed a similar trend. The shear strength increased consistently with drying time across all concentration conditions, which was consistent with the trends observed in the UCS. These findings suggest that the strength characteristics of soils treated with agar gum solutions can be effectively predicted and utilized for ground improvement applications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941825001424SilicaBiopolymerAgar gumShear strengthUniaxial compressive strengthStrength properties |
| spellingShingle | Sangbeen Lee Jae-Eun Ryou Tae-Hyuk Kwon Jongwon Jung Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils Polymer Testing Silica Biopolymer Agar gum Shear strength Uniaxial compressive strength Strength properties |
| title | Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils |
| title_full | Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils |
| title_fullStr | Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils |
| title_short | Effect of Agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils |
| title_sort | effect of agar gum on the interparticle bonding and uniaxial compressive strength of soils |
| topic | Silica Biopolymer Agar gum Shear strength Uniaxial compressive strength Strength properties |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0142941825001424 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sangbeenlee effectofagargumontheinterparticlebondinganduniaxialcompressivestrengthofsoils AT jaeeunryou effectofagargumontheinterparticlebondinganduniaxialcompressivestrengthofsoils AT taehyukkwon effectofagargumontheinterparticlebondinganduniaxialcompressivestrengthofsoils AT jongwonjung effectofagargumontheinterparticlebondinganduniaxialcompressivestrengthofsoils |