Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-01632, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Sharma, Jitendrapal (York University)|Sharma, Jitendrapal (Université York), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Hydraulic excavators are increasingly being used for excavations needed for repair or replacement of buried_x000D_
infrastructure, such as water mains, sewers, communication cables, etc. Because of their high water content,_x000D_
hydraulic excavation spoils have a sludge-like consistency and can neither be disposed off as solid waste nor_x000D_
recycled nor reused as a backfill. The disposal problem can be addressed by adding super-absorbent polymers_x000D_
(SAPs) to the spoils. SAPs can absorb several hundred times their own mass in water, thereby providing_x000D_
"instant" solidification of the spoils and facilitating their disposal as solid waste. Provision of SAP-based_x000D_
solidification solutions to a broad range of applications, including spoils from hydraulic as well as traditional_x000D_
excavations and tunnelling, is one of the core businesses of the industry partner MetaFLO. MetaFLO's clients_x000D_
are looking for ways of using SAP-solidified spoils as a backfill material for post-repair closure of excavations._x000D_
Presently, SAP-solidified spoils cannot be used to backfill excavations because of lack of information on their_x000D_
expected geotechnical properties and must be transported and disposed at solid waste disposal sites. A key_x000D_
objective of the proposed project is to identify the threshold inherent water content of the spoils above which_x000D_
the use of SAPs to solidify the spoils will not result in a fill that is of sufficient stiffness and strength to permit_x000D_
its use as a fill or a backfill. The project will also explore mixing of natural soils with the SAP-solidified spoils_x000D_
to enhance stiffness and strength of the spoils. The overarching goal of the project is to develop guidelines for_x000D_
the use of SAPs, which can be used by contractors to establish the relative proportions of spoils, SAPs, and_x000D_
natural soils to achieve desirable geotechnical properties of the resulting mix based on the measured inherent_x000D_
water content of the spoils. A comprehensive lab testing program that uses the state-of-the-art geotechnical lab_x000D_
testing facilities at York is proposed in which combinations of clay slurries prepared at different water_x000D_
contents, two types of SAPs, and general-purpose Portland cement as binding agent are used to ascertain_x000D_
Atterberg limits, stiffness, strength, compaction, and hydraulic flow properties of the resulting mixes., program purpose french : Hydraulic excavators are increasingly being used for excavations needed for repair or replacement of buried_x000D_
infrastructure, such as water mains, sewers, communication cables, etc. Because of their high water content,_x000D_
hydraulic excavation spoils have a sludge-like consistency and can neither be disposed off as solid waste nor_x000D_
recycled nor reused as a backfill. The disposal problem can be addressed by adding super-absorbent polymers_x000D_
(SAPs) to the spoils. SAPs can absorb several hundred times their own mass in water, thereby providing_x000D_
"instant" solidification of the spoils and facilitating their disposal as solid waste. Provision of SAP-based_x000D_
solidification solutions to a broad range of applications, including spoils from hydraulic as well as traditional_x000D_
excavations and tunnelling, is one of the core businesses of the industry partner MetaFLO. MetaFLO's clients_x000D_
are looking for ways of using SAP-solidified spoils as a backfill material for post-repair closure of excavations._x000D_
Presently, SAP-solidified spoils cannot be used to backfill excavations because of lack of information on their_x000D_
expected geotechnical properties and must be transported and disposed at solid waste disposal sites. A key_x000D_
objective of the proposed project is to identify the threshold inherent water content of the spoils above which_x000D_
the use of SAPs to solidify the spoils will not result in a fill that is of sufficient stiffness and strength to permit_x000D_
its use as a fill or a backfill. The project will also explore mixing of natural soils with the SAP-solidified spoils_x000D_
to enhance stiffness and strength of the spoils. The overarching goal of the project is to develop guidelines for_x000D_
the use of SAPs, which can be used by contractors to establish the relative proportions of spoils, SAPs, and_x000D_
natural soils to achieve desirable geotechnical properties of the resulting mix based on the measured inherent_x000D_
water content of the spoils. A comprehensive lab testing program that uses the state-of-the-art geotechnical lab_x000D_
testing facilities at York is proposed in which combinations of clay slurries prepared at different water_x000D_
contents, two types of SAPs, and general-purpose Portland cement as binding agent are used to ascertain_x000D_
Atterberg limits, stiffness, strength, compaction, and hydraulic flow properties of the resulting mixes., agreement title english : Enhancing stiffness and strength of super-absorbent-polymers-solidified excavated spoils and slurries, agreement title french : Enhancing stiffness and strength of super-absorbent-polymers-solidified excavated spoils and slurries, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2018-03-22, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada