Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering

Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering

Evaluation of the Mechanical Properties and Durability of Aeolian Sand Stabilized with Emulsion Copolymers

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
zohreh ghafori fard 1
maryam mokhtari 2
Mohammad Mahdi Khabiri 3
Seyed Mehrdad Jalilian 4
1 PhD student, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran,
3 Associate Professor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Iran Polymer and Petrochemical Institute, Tehran, Iran
10.22060/ceej.2026.24325.8288
Abstract
The stabilization and improvement of the engineering properties of weak soils, particularly aeolian sandy soils (windblown sand), represent one of the major challenges in geotechnical engineering and pavement construction projects. The use of conventional stabilizers such as cement and lime is subject to significant limitations due to their high carbon dioxide emissions and adverse environmental impacts. The present study investigates, through experimental and statistical approaches, the performance of two environmentally compatible emulsion copolymers, namely styrene–acrylate copolymer (A70) and styrene–butadiene copolymer (B70), in the stabilization of desert aeolian sand collected from South Khorasan Province, Iran. For this purpose, the polymers were prepared at concentrations of 10%, 30%, and 50%, and added to the soil at different dosages by dry weight. After a 14-day curing period under laboratory conditions, the treated specimens were subjected to a series of tests, including compaction, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), direct shear, indirect tensile strength (Brazilian test), California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and durability tests involving freeze–thaw and wetting–drying cycles. In addition, microstructural analyses were conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the bonding mechanism between soil particles. The results indicated that the effect of polymer content on compressive, tensile, and shear strength was nonlinear. The optimum pure polymer contents were determined as 6.03% for A70 and 4.02% for B70. Specimens stabilized with B70 exhibited higher compressive strength and elastic modulus, whereas those treated with A70 demonstrated more ductile behavior and superior durability under wetting–drying and freeze–thaw cycles, owing to the formation of a continuous polymeric network. Statistical analyses performed using Design-Expert and SPSS confirmed the validity of the proposed regression predictive models, with coefficients of determination (R^2) greater than 0.9.
Keywords
Soil Stabilization
Eco-Friendly Polymers
Acrylate Copolymer
Styrene&ndash
Butadiene Copolymer
Aeolian Sand
Subjects
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Amirkabir Journal of Civil Engineering
Volume 58, Issue 4
2026
Pages 479-510