DESEMPENHO DO SOLO-CIMENTO COM INCORPORAÇÃO DE BENTONITA

Abstract

Due to the high socioeconomic and environmental value of the springs, it is necessary to conserve them to guarantee the quality of the water. Considering the location of a spring in the middle of a pasture, aiming at its vulnerability to various external agents, the soil-cement protection technique is used. The cement has the capacity of stability and resistance, but other incorporations can improve the physical properties. In this sense, the incorporation of clays such as bentonite can bring benefits such as reduction of porosity and increase of plasticity of the mixture. Considering the above, the objective was to determine the ideal percentage of soil substitution by bentonite, providing improvements of the physical properties and stability in the soil-cement mixtures, aiming at the application in the protection barriers of springs. The mortars was formed in the 1:3 trace using Portland cement and medium textured soil; and the soil was composed of mixtures with bentonite, in percent substitutions of 0, 10, 30, 50 and 100% by weight of soil per residue. They were physically and mechanically tested in resistance tests, water absorption and volumetric stability. It was observed that the adequate percentage of bentonite in substitution of the soil that had a better behavior in this case was the treatment with 10%, providing better plasticity and workability at the time of preparation of the mixtures, presenting viability, however the hydraulic retraction and consequent formation may weaken its use in the protection of springs.