Application of synthetic Polymer for Stabilization of Soils

Application of chemical polymers is one the effective methods for stabilization of soils. In this research, the effects of Polyvinyl Acetate Polymer on stabilization of soils and erosion control has been investigated. To do this, three different soils types were treated with five levels of Polyvinyl-Acetate emulsion and cured for three ages. Thus, considering three replication for each samples totally 135 specimens were prepared and tested for determination of their compressive strength. Statistical analysis of the results showed that the adding of polymer increases the compressive strength of the samples significantly, where the rate of increase depends on soil texture and varies from 15 % in clayey samples to 400 % in sandy soils. Furthermore, the compressive strength of the samples significantly affected by the age of the samples and deacreased upto 15 and 28 percet after 3 and 6 months respectively. Also based on durability tests, addition of polymer to the samples makes the sandy samples durable but has no effect on the durability of clay samples. Finally, application 25 g of polymer per square meter of soil was determined as the optimal treatment to stabilize the studied soil.