Variation in a Shear Modulus of Enzyme-Treated Soil under Cyclic Loading

Enzymatic emulsions contain enzymes (protein molecules) that react with soil molecules to form a cementing bond that stabilizes the soil structure and reduces the soil’s affinity for water. The present study presents an investigation to evaluate the enzyme treated soil under cyclic loading. The study presents the variation in shear modulus on a selected dosage of enzyme with 28 days of curing period. Strain controlled cyclic triaxial tests were performed with different confining pressure, loading frequency and cyclic shear stain amplitude. It is found that the shear modulus values decreases with number of cycles and increases with increase in confining pressure. The shear modulus decreases with the increase in loading frequency and with the increase in cyclic shear strain. Rate of degradation in shear modulus due to increment in cyclic shear strain is found to be more with higher confining pressure. It may be because the enzyme treated soil behaves stiffer under γ=0.15% due to the lateral support. At higher cyclic shear strain lateral support may not be able to make it stiff.