Natural rubber latex treatment of sand: A novel remediation technique for soil liquefaction

We present a novel method to improve liquefaction resistance in sandy soil by treating it with natural rubber latex (NRL) using a pressurised permeation technique. Sand samples treated with NRL solutions of 10%, 15%, 20%, and 30% concentrations were tested. The liquefaction resistance of the untreated and NRL-treated sand samples was evaluated by performing strain-controlled cyclic triaxial tests with 0.15%, 0.3%, and 0.5% axial strain amplitudes. We find that NRL treatment reduces excess pore pressure development in the sand, thereby increasing liquefaction resistance. Further, this study also explores the effect of NRL treatment on stiffness deterioration in the sand under cyclic loading. NRL-treated sand samples showed resistance to progressive stiffness degradation even after many cycles due to interparticle bonding developed by virtue of the solidified NRL fibres. From a pilot study on the behaviour of treated sand under stress-controlled loading, it was seen that irrespective of the pore pressure development, NRL effectively resist the strain development in sand. Hence, we propose the utilisation of NRL as an environment-friendly soil stabiliser for mitigating liquefaction.