On the behavior of the cured electroosmotic chemical treated clay

Followed the proposed ECT procedure that was the injection of 0.75 M CaCl₂ solution for 72 h, then 1.5 M KOH solution for 48 h, then sodium silicate solution for 72 h and then deionized water for 168 h, the clay strength can be improved from anode to cathode entirely. To further improve the clay strength, curing the sample for different periods and applying electric field over the sample were studied. The cone resistance, water content, pH value, Ca²⁺ concentration and the XRD pattern were tested or analyzed in each test. Results show that injection of deionized water was a key phase to produce a full improvement of the treated clay, which cannot be replaced by the application of an electric field only and without injecting water. Curing the treated clay after injecting deionized water can yield a higher clay strength in the cathode area significantly due to pozzolanic reaction but produce a lower clay strength in the anode area because the formed NaOH decomposed the gel structure of the sodium silicate solution. To obtain a better strength after injection of deionized water for 168 h, the treated clay had to be cured for about 28 days, along with a dry anode compartment.