Mechanical Properties of Sandy Soil Stabilized with Modified Sulfur

Abstract

Alternative sulfur management solutions are of great interest to scientists and engineers due to the increase in the world’s sulfur product. Although use of by-product sulfur as a binder in concrete has been addressed in previous reports, almost no work has been done to investigate the potential use of by-product sulfur as stabilizer agent for soil. This paper presents the geotechnical characteristics of sandy soil form the southern Caspian Sea Coastal Area of Mazandaran State, Iran, stabilized with modified sulfur. Specimens cured up to 180 days and unconfined compression and direct shear tests were performed. Unconfined compression strength and direct shear parameters increased, depending on modified sulfur content and curing period. Empirical relationships are proposed to estimate the unconfined compressive strength and direct shear parameters. Our results showed that a modified sulfur agent has considerable influence on the physical characteristics of soil. Sulfur may be employed as soil stabilizer in civil engineering construction fields.