SOIL STABILIZATION THROUGH ADDITIVES FOR QUICK ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Abstract

The biggest challenge before the Engineers is to deal with the construction sites having weak/expansive kind of soil formation. Its improvement is the key challenge. In this study a weak/expansive clayey soil is taken and its characteristic properties are studied with varying proportions of a soil stabilizer (RB! grade 81) after 3 days of moist curing. Firstly the untreated soil is investigated to determine its engineering properties, and then the soil treated with stabilizer in varying percentages is examined. The experiments conducted on untreated as well as stabilizer treated soil are : Specific gravity test, Atterberg's limit test, Standard Proctor test, Grain size Analysis. Unconfined compressive strength, California Bearing Ratio test, Unconsolidated Undrained Triaxial test and Free swell Index test. In all the tests conducted after addition of some fixed percentage of stabilizer considerable improvement is seen in the properties of weak soil that was chosen for the study. Hence the inference which can be drawn from this study is that the soil stabilization using optimum amount of stabilizer mixed to the soil is the suitable method to improve the engineering properties of a weak soil that was chosen initially.