Research data for "Enhancing surface cracking and erosion resistances in lateritic soil with eco-friendly surface spraying agents"
Description
This is the research data for our study entitled "Enhancing surface cracking and erosion resistances in lateritic soil with eco-friendly surface spraying agents". Abstract: Lateritic soil slopes are typically protected using vegetative techniques, but a vulnerable period exists in the early stages before vegetation establishes, leading to significant desiccation cracking and surface erosion. This study aims to address these issues of lateritic soil by applying an optimized environmentally friendly agent using the surface spraying method. A series of laboratory tests were conducted to examine the influences of various potential agents on the tensile strength, desiccation cracking, surface erosion, and plant growth in lateritic soil. Finally, the protective mechanism of the screened optimal agent was analyzed. The results show that untreated lateritic soil at natural dry density after drying has a low tensile strength of 15.1 kPa, resulting in a high crack intensity factor of 8.30% after wet-dry cycles and a large erosion ratio of 2.92 g/cm² under heavy rainfall. Soil stabilizer, sodium silicate, and alkaline lignin demonstrate effectiveness in enhancing strength, mitigating cracks, and controlling erosion at appropriate concentrations, but they inhibit plant growth in lateritic soil. Polyaluminum chloride cannot prevent surface erosion, although it improves tensile strength and crack resistance and does not inhibit plant growth. Polyacrylamide exhibits the best overall performance as it can increase the tensile strength to 57.7 kPa, reduce the crack intensity factor to 3.44% and the erosion ratio to within 0.10 g/cm2, without affecting plant growth. Because polyacrylamide is also easily accessible, cost-effective and fast-acting, it stands out as the superior surface spraying agent for protecting lateritic soil slopes.