Self-recovery of soil shear strength by microcapsules: a review of potential cargos and encapsulation methods

Soil settlement leads to serviceability issues of ground infrastructure and is a threat to the stability of overlying structures. To recover the soil shear strength, microcapsules-based self-healing materials are proposed. The purpose of this paper is to review the various cementing cargos with a greater potential to be applied in soils. At first, the review briefly introduces microcapsules-based self-healing materials, the application of microcapsules in other engineering fields, and the significance and importance of applying self-healing approaches to ground engineering. Secondly, a summary of cementing cargos for soil stabilization is provided, including their properties and their effect on soil reinforcement. Finally, the last section discusses the encapsulation methods and corresponding cargos with the greatest potential to be applied to soil shear strength recovery.