Properties and Compatibility Assessment of the Slurry with Quicklime for Fissure Restoration of Earthen Sites in Northwest China

Abstract

Slurries with quicklime for fissure restoration in earthen sites in northwest China can reduce dry shrinkage and reinforce the soil on both sides of fissure. However, their full-scale properties need to be investigated and a compatibility assessment needs to be carried out in order to proceed with further research. The paper pays attention to the full-scale properties of the slurry and typical site soils. A total of 3 slurries with different mix proportions and 35 earthen sites in northwest China are selected to test properties, including basic physical properties, mechanical properties, thermal properties, and water-physical properties. The test results show the properties of the slurries are close and that the properties of the site soils are obviously different. Then, a compatibility assessment is considered as a multi-criteria decision-making problem to solve. Three universal and necessary steps in the paper are to select assessment indicators, weigh each indicator, and sort all of the samples. The AHP, CRITIC, and TOPSIS methods are adopted in the process of the compatibility assessment. The results of assessment show that most site soils are commonly or highly compatible with three slurries; few site soils are very highly or lowly compatible; and that no site soils are very lowly compatible, which means that the three slurries with quicklime with different mix proportions are acceptable for most earthen sites in NW China. The paper provides much basic data of the slurries with quicklime and site soils widely distributed in arid region in NW China, and also builds a model of the compatibility assessment which has potential for the further application of slurries with quicklime.