Efficacy of the Simplex-Centroid Method for Optimization of Mixtures of Soil, Ladle Furnace Slag and Fly Ash Applied in Pavement Construction

Mateus Henrique Ribeiro Rodrigues, Taciano Oliveira da Silva, Heraldo Nunes Pitanga, Leonardo Gonçalves Pedroti, Klaus Henrique de Paula Rodrigues, Emerson Cordeiro Lopes and Gustavo Henrique Nalon ()
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Mateus Henrique Ribeiro Rodrigues: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Taciano Oliveira da Silva: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Heraldo Nunes Pitanga: Department of Transportation and Geotechnics, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora 36036-330, Brazil
Leonardo Gonçalves Pedroti: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Klaus Henrique de Paula Rodrigues: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Emerson Cordeiro Lopes: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
Gustavo Henrique Nalon: Department of Civil Engineering, Federal University of Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-22

Abstract: Integrating industrial wastes into soils to enhance their properties is a potential solution to current waste management challenges. Since the current literature lacks systematic studies on the mechanical performance of mixtures of soil, ladle furnace slag (LFS) and fly ash (FA), this research investigated the chemical stabilization of two different soils (clayey or sandy soil) using a concomitant mix of distinct types of industrial wastes: LFS and FA. A design of experiments (DoE) methodology was employed to systematically generate distinct mixtures for each soil sample, utilizing a simplex-centroid design. The mixtures were subjected to unconfined compressive strength (UCS), California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and resilient modulus (RM) tests. The industrial by-products improved the mechanical properties of the soils, providing UCS, CBR index and RM increases up to 130.5%, 324.4% and 132.6%, respectively. Synergistic and antagonistic effects related to the combination of different wastes were discussed, based on mathematical models with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.760 to 0.998, in addition to response surfaces generated for each response variable. The desirability function was applied to identify the optimal component proportions. The best mixture proportion was 80% soil, 20% LFS and 0% FA, which improved the formation of cemented compounds that contributed to the enhanced mechanical strength. The use of industrial waste for soil stabilization has therefore proven to be technically feasible and environmentally friendly.

Keywords: soil stabilization; ladle furnace slag; fly ash; design of experiments; simplex-centroid network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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