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This study investigated the strength behaviors of dredged clays treated with metakaolin (MK) and fly ash (FA). A series of laboratory tests including direct shear and unconfined compressive strength tests were performed on MK and FA-treated dredged clay at various MK contents and different curing times. The direct shear test results showed that the shear stress and displacement curves for all specimens tested are strain-softening types and influenced by MK content and curing time. The variation curve at a higher MK content or higher curing time is always higher than that at a lower one. The shear strength from the direct shear test at a given vertical stress consistently increases linearly with the increase of MK content while increasing parabolically with curing time. This indicates both curing time and MK content contribute to the development of the shear strength. Both strength parameters c and φ grow with increasing MK content and curing time. Unconfined compressive strength test results show the strain-softening behavior for all tested specimens. Compared with adding FA alone or MK alone, adding both fly ash and MK exhibited a better treatment effect in the unconfined compressive strength, which increases with increasing MK content and curing time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis study investigated the strength characteristics of dredged marine clays treated with fly ash with varying porewater salinities. A series of laboratory tests were conducted on fly ash-treated dredged marine clay specimens with various salinities and curing times. In the direct shear tests, observed patterns revealed a consistent initial rapid increase in shear stress with the increase of horizontal displacement, followed by either a gradual decline or stabilization after reaching the peak shear stress. The variation curve consistently positioned the lower salinity or longer curing time above the higher salinity or shorter curing time. Furthermore, the shear strength at a given vertical stress consistently decreases with increasing salinity while ascending with increasing curing time. This indicated that curing time positively influences shear strength development, while the presence of salt negatively affects it. Both strength parameters cohesion and friction angle exhibited growth trends with increased curing time but displayed a decline as salinity increased from 0% to 6%. Unconfined compressive strength test results showed a strain-softening behavior for all tested specimens. The compressive strength demonstrated a declining trend with rising salinity, with a more pronounced decrease observed within the initial 7d compared to the less significant change between 7d and 28d. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]