CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Soil
improvement

Soil improvement in its broadest sense is the alteration of any property of a soil to
improve its engineering performance. This may be either a temporary process to
permit the construction of a facility or may be a permanent measure to improve the
performance of the completed facility. The result of an application of a technique may
be increased strength, reduced compressibility, reduced permeability, or improved
ground water condition.

Soils can be classified into two categories cohesion less and cohesive soils. It has
been observed that regions that are predominantly clayey do not usually have sandy
materials. Clays must be considered as very important and often determining soil
component since it has two objectionable qualities that make it the most troublesome
of the materials to be dealt with. It swells when subjected to wetting, and shrinks with
drying. Clays and silts are low-grade construction materials, which find use in
impervious elements such as cores (dams), cut-offs, they are poorly drained, and they
shrink and swell. Also, clays when wet lose all strength; they are highly compressible,
producing undesirable settlement as sub-grades of highways. Sands, though, having
good drainage properties are also not suitable, as they lack cohesion and spread
laterally under vertical loads. Thus, either of the two types alone cannot take the
traffic independently. Therefore, combination of the two in certain specific
proportions and thorough compaction with or without the use of additives may result
in a stable sub-grade. A stabilized material may be considered as a combination of
binder-soil and aggregates preferably obtained at or near the site of stabilization, and
compacted so that it will remain in its compacted state without detrimental change in
shape or volume under the force of traffic and exposure of weather. Several materials
have been used as soil stabilizing agents. Of these, the best stabilizer will be the one
involving minimum cost and at the same time providing durable effect. The technique
is mainly applied in Road construction soil, and is termed as Mechanical Stabilization
or Granular Stabilization. The process of mechanical stabilization is used both for

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base-courses as well as surface-courses. A good mechanically stable base or surfacing
usually consists of a mixture of coarse aggregates (gravel, crushed rock, slag, etc.),

2
fine aggregates (natural or crushed stone, sand, etc.), silt and clay, correctly
proportioned and fully compacted. The use of correctly proportioned materials is of
particular importance in the construction of low-cost roads. The principle of grading
soils may be applied to the improvement of sub-grade soils of low bearing capacity,
by adding to them materials having particle sizes that are lacking, e.g. sand can added
to clay sub-grades and vice versa.

1.2 TECHNIQUES OF SOIL IMPROVEMENT

The various techniques of soil improvement are :

1 Surface Compaction

2 Drainage Methods

3 Vibration Methods

4 Precompression and consolidation 5

Grouting and Injection

6 Chemical Stabilization

1.2.1. Surface Compaction

One of the oldest methods of soil densification is compaction. Construction of a new

road, a runway, an embankment or any soft or loose site needs a compacted base for
laying the structure. If the depth to be densified is less the surface compaction alone
can solve the problem. The usual surface compaction devices are rollers, tampers and
rammers. All conventional rollers like smooth wheel, rubber-tyred, sheep foot,
vibratory and grid rollers can be used.

1.2.2. Drainage Methods

Ground water is one of the most difficult problems in excavation work. The presence
of water increases the pore water pressure and decreases the shear strength. Further
heavy inflow of water to the excavations is liable to cause erosion or collapse of the
sides of open excavations. Certain methods are available to control the ground water
and ensure a safe and economical construction scheme. Common drainage methods
are Well-point Systems, Deep- well Drainage, Vacuum Dewatering system,
Dewatering by Electro-osmosis etc.

1.2.3. Vibration Methods

Vibration methods can be effectively used for rapid densification of saturated non
cohesive soils. Vibrations and shock waves in loose deposits of such materials cause
liquefaction followed by densification accompanying the dissipation of excess pore
water pressures. Some of the mostly adopted vibration methods are blasting,
Vibrating probe, Vibratory rollers, Vibro-displacement Compaction Piles,
Vibrofloatation, Heavy Tamping etc.

1.2.4. Pre-compression and Consolidation

This method aims to consolidate the soil before construction. Various techniques
adopted are Preloading and Surcharge Fills, Vertical Drains, Dynamic Consolidation,
Electro osmotic Consolidation etc.

1.2.5. Grouting and Injection

Grouting is a process whereby stabilizers, either in the form of suspension or

solution are injected into subsurface soil or rock for one or more of the following
applications:

Control of ground water during construction

Void filling to prevent excessive settlement
Strengthening adjacent foundation soils to protect them against damage during
excavation, Pile driving, etc.
Soil Strengthening to reduce lateral support requirements
Stabilization of loose sands against Liquefaction
Foundation Underpinning
Reduction of machine foundation vibrations
Grouting is done by Suspension Grouts which include grouting with Soil, Soil-cement
Mixes, Cement, Lime, Displacement Grouting and by Solution Grouts using "one
shot" or "two shot" systems.
1.2.6. Chemical Stabilization

Chemical Stabilization has been widely used in the form of lime, cement, fly ash and
the combination of the above is widely used in soil stabilization. Chemical
Stabilizations reduce permeability of the soils, improve shear strength, increase
bearing capacity, decrease settlement and expedite construction. Chemical
Stabilization is used for surface soils more successfully. Mixtures of soils and
chemicals are mixed either mechanically in place or by batch process. Some of the
chemicals used are Lime, Cement, and Fly Ash etc.

1.2.7. Soil Reinforcement

Soil Reinforcement is in the form of a weak soil reinforced by high-strength thin

horizontal membranes. A large variety of materials such as rubber, aluminum and
thermoplastics have been used successfully.

1.2.8. Geotextiles and Geomembranes

Geotextiles are porous fabrics manufactured from synthetic materials, which are
primarily petroleum products and others, such as polyester, polyethylene,
polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride, nylon, fiber glass and various mixtures of
these. Geotextiles are used as separators, filters, Drains, reinforcement,
geomembranes etc.

1.2.9. Other Methods

Other methods include Thermal methods, Moisture barriers, Prewetting, addition or

removal of soil, mechanical stabilization etc.

1.3. ADDITIVES

Additive refers to a manufactured commercial product that, when added to the soil in
the proper quantities, will improve the quality of the soil layer. The two types of
additive stabilization discussed mainly in this chapter are chemical and bituminous.
Chemical stabilization is achieved by the addition of proper percentages of portland
cement, lime, lime-cement-fly ash (LCF), or combinations of these materials to the
soil. Bituminous stabilization is achieved by the addition of proper percentages of
bituminous material to the soil. Selecting and determining the percentage of additives
depend on the soil classification and the degree of improvement in the soil quality
desired. Smaller amounts of additives are usually required to alter soil properties
(such as gradation, workability, and plasticity) than to improve the strength and
durability sufficiently to permit a thickness-reduction design. After the Soil
Stabilization additive has been mixed with the soil, spreading and compacting are
achieved by conventional means.

1.4 TYPES OF ADDITIVES

To select the proper type of additive for a particular soil, perform a sieve analysis test
and an Atterberg-limits test according to the procedures

1.4.1. Cement

Portland cement can be used either to modify and improve the quality of the soil or to
transform the soil into a cemented mass with increased strength and durability.
Cement can be used effectively as a stabilizer for a wide range of materials; however,
the soil should have a PI less than 30. For coarse-grained soils, the amount passing the
No. 4 sieve should be greater than 45 percent. The amount of cement used depends on
whether the soil is to be modified or stabilized.

1.4.2 Lime

Experience shows that lime will react with many medium-, moderately fine-, and
fine-grained soils to produce decreased plasticity, increased workability, reduced
swell, and increased strength. Soils classified according to the USCS as CH, CL, MH,
ML, OH, OL, SC, SM, GC, GM, SW-SC, SP-SC, SM-SC, GWGC, GP-GC, ML-CL,
and GM-GC should be considered as potentially capable of being stabilized with lime.
Lime should be considered with all soils having a PI greater than 10 and more than 25
percent of the soil passing the No. 200 sieve.

1.4.3 Fly ash

Fly ash, when mixed with lime, can be used effectively to stabilize most coarse- and
medium-grained soils; however, the PI should not be greater than 25. Soils classified
by the USCS as SW, SP, SP-SC, SW-SC, SW-SM, GW, GP, GP-GC, GW-GC, GP-
GM, GW-GM, GC-GM, and SC-SM can be stabilized with fly ash. Fly ash is the
byproduct of combustion of coal and contains Silicon and Aluminum and is mainly
used as a filler product to reduce voids. The silicate aluminates-amide system is
widely used for strength improvement and water cut-off as this system can be used in
acidic soils as well

1.4.4 Bituminous

Most bituminous soil stabilization has been performed with asphalt cement, cutback
asphalt, and asphalt emulsions. Soils that can be stabilized effectively with
bituminous materials usually contain less than 30 percent passing the No. 200 sieve
and have a PI less than 10. Soils classified by the USCS as SW, SP, SW-SM, SP-SM,
SW-SC, SP-SC, SM, SC, SM-SC, GW, GP, SW-GM, SP-GM, SW-GC, GP-GC, GM,
GC, and GM-GC can be effectively stabilized with bituminous materials, provided the
above-mentioned gradation and plasticity requirements are met. Stabilization using
lime creates long lasting changes in soil properties.

1.4.5 Combination

Combination stabilization is specifically defined as lime-cement, lime-asphalt, and

LCF stabilization. Combinations of lime and cement are often acceptable expedient
stabilizers. Lime can be added to the soil to increase the soils workability and mixing
characteristics as well as to reduce its plasticity. Cement can then be mixed into the
soil to provide rapid strength gain. Combinations of lime and asphalt are often
acceptable stabilizers. The lime addition may prevent stripping at the asphalt-
aggregate interface and increase the mixtures stability.

1.5 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF STABILIZATION

In soil stabilization there is no inorganic binder that can be applied indiscriminately,

as a means of stabilization, to ensure good results (Houben and Guillaud, 1996).
Stabilized earth walls, however, may be built more thinly and there may be no need
for the application of expensive surface treatments to improve durability and water
tightness. In terms of durability, cement stabilized materials such as rammed earth
rarely have problems meeting the requirements of even the most severe tests (Walker
and Standards Australia, 2002). A modern building often results from the use of
stabilized soils, which can be distinguished from traditional earth materials, and can
have higher status in certain regions such as developing countries (Keable, 1996). The
decision to stabilize the soil mix should only be made after consideration of the
following advantages and disadvantages:

1.5.1 Advantages
1. Speeds up the building process as the required wall thickness is generally
much less and so less material and labor is required
2. Significantly improves durability and strength, particularly where
the locally available soil is poor
3. May reduce or eliminate the need for expensive surface treatment or
rendering.

1.5.2 Disadvantages
1. Raw material costs are increased soil is free/low cost and cement is
relatively expensive
2. The stabilization materials needed may not be readily available in some
developing countries or may be expensive to transport
3. The processes of mixing and building can become more complicated
depending upon the type of stabilizer that is chosen. This can
increase the chance of problems occurring thus affecting time/budget
4. Potential environmental impact e.g. the use of cement and lime can
increase the embodied energy (and associated CO2 emissions) of the
wall materials
5. Health and safety cement and lime are both hazardous materials that can
cause burns to the skin and eyes, some other chemical additives contain
volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
1.6 WHY IS SOIL IMPROVEMENT IMPORTANT ?

In the case of reclaimed land, consolidation left to its natural course can take many
years. Given the urgent need for expansion this is a long time to wait to be able to
build new infrastructure on the new land. In fact, if the new land is not usable for
construction purposes within a reasonable timeframe and the facilities being built are
delayed until the land has settled enough to support infrastructure, the project may be
jeopardised. A lengthy turnaround period can thus have crucial social and financial
implications, since for both economic and social reasons the reclaimed land is usually
needed as soon as possible. The ground improvement techniques being used today
have significantly shortened the timeframe for preparing the new land for use and
therefore secured the economic viability of many projects.
 CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Study on the Geotechnical Properties of Cement based Composite Fine- grained
Soil

It states that the effect of cement on the performance of soil, collected from
Khanjahan Ali Hall at Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) in
Khulna, Bangladesh. The addition of cement was found to improve the engineering
properties of available soil in stabilized forms specifically strength, workability, and
compaction and compressibility characteristics. Therefore, laboratory tests such as
compaction, Atterberg limits, unconfined compressive strength, direct shear and
consolidation tests for different percentages of cement content and original soil
samples were performed. These test results show that the soil can be made lighter
which leads to decrease in dry density and increase in moisture content and reduced
compressibility due to the addition of cement with the soil. Besides that the
unconfined compressive strength and shear strength of soil can be optimized with the
addition of 7.5% of cement content. (Grytan sarkar, md. rafiqul Islam, Muhammed
alamgir, md. Rokonuzzaman (2012))

2.2. An experimental study for identification and comparison of plastic index and
shrinkage properties of clay soils with the addition of cement

That there has been an increasing application of various clay minerals with high
plasticity in environmental and geotechnical projects. One of the weaknesses of clay
minerals is their shrinkage potential while desiccating. It is imperative to modify the
properties of these minerals by combining them with other materials. The present
article tries to examine the effect of adding cement to clay on its shrinkage properties
and to compare it with normal clay. A considerable number of expansion experiments
were carried out on mixed samples with different weight percentages. The results
suggested the significant effect of modification of clay soils in Golestan Province by
adding cement on their shrinkage properties, such that increased percentage of
additives increases the shrinkage limit of clay-additive mixture and the cracks caused
by shrinkage decrease in terms of length and width. Finally, the clay additive mixture
pattern can be obtained that provides the basic, necessary properties which correspond
to the aims of the project. In the present article, cement is used as a chemical for
improving the shrinkage properties of expansive and problematic soils in Golestan
Province. During the course of experiments, four samples of different soils are used
with plasticity indices of 20, 30, 35, and 40. Here, the plasticity properties (including
liquid limit, plastic limit, shrinkage limit, and plastic index) of clay soils in the region
will be examined and compared before and after adding different percentages of
cement. (Mehdi gharib, Hamidreza Saba, Arash barazesh (2012))

2.3. Study of black cotton soil characteristics with cement waste dust and lime

It stated that Stabilization of soils is an effective method for improvement of soil

properties and the pavement system performance. Plasticity Index is one of the
important properties of soil to determine the behavior of soil in presence of water. The
poorest soil among all is Black Cotton Soil (BC Soil). In Rajkot area this BC Soil is
spread over southern part of District. Rich proportion of montmorillonite is found in
BC Soil from mineralogical analysis. High percentage of montomorillonite renders
high degree of expansiveness. These property results cracks in soil without any
warning. These cracks have sometimes extent severe limit like to 12 deep. Use of
this type of land may suffer severe damage to the construction with the change in
atmospheric conditions. In this paper, BC Soil was tested using three different
stabilizing agents - 1.Cement waste dust collected from the cement plant 2. Cement
Dust + Lime Powder 3. Lime Powder. The cement waste dust was found best agent as
a stabilizer to improve the Atterbergs Limit and hence Plasticity Index of BC Soil as
well as the compressive strength of the same. Laboratory tests were performed with
different percentages of three stages, each of them ranging from 1% to 9%. The
behavior of BC Soil of Rajkot region was improved with stage no. 1, the percentage
of Cement dust 7% of Cement dust in BC Soil is looking to be the appropriate mixing.
Also in second stage, improvement is shown at 8% of combination of cement dust and
Lime powder. Third stage was observed a best suited result at 9% of Lime powder in
BC Soil. The results, thus obtained in laboratory under standard conditions provide
satisfactory reason to use the Cement dust as a stabilizing agent for the purpose to
improve Plasticity Index of BC Soil compare to other two combinations. After
satisfying result of Plasticity Index, Cylindrical Samples of BC Soil with all three
1
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 combinations were prepared to check the compressive strength of stabilized soil.
Moisture content taken was the optimum percentage of plastic limit in each
combination. The cylinders of size 50 mm in diameter and 60 mm height were tested
after 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, 28 days. The relations for these periods were established among
the use of all three different agents. Compressive strength of Cement dust stabilized
BC Soil found more reliable. (J.B.Ozaa, Dr. P.J. Gundaliya (2012))

2.4. Soil Engineering Properties Improvement by Utilization of Cut Waste Plastic

and Crushed Waste Glass as Additive

This paper was evaluated the engineering properties on utilizing waste plastic High
Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and waste crushed glass as additive on subgrade
improvement. The research were conducted soil engineering properties, standard
compaction, four days soaked California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and Triaxial test to
some clayey soil samples from various sites in Kuantan. The 4 days soaked CBR of
clayey soil samples were prepared at optimum water content. The variation of
additive content on stabilized soil: 4%, 8%, 12% by dry total weight of soil sample
respectively. The chemical element was investigated by Integrated Electron
Microscope and Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Test result
were shown that engineering properties and CBR on stabilized clayey samples were
increased when the content of waste HDPE and Glass were increased.

2.5 Soil Improvement Techniques

Soil at a construction site may not always be totally suitable for supporting structures
in its natural state. In such a case, the soil needs to be improved to increase its bearing
capacity and decrease the expected settlement. This paper gives an overview of
techniques that are commonly used to improve the performance of saturated clayey
soil in situ, its functions, methods of installation, the applicable soil types and cost of
those techniques. Then, this study concluded that there is an urgent need to study the
technique of removal and replacement for improving soil behavior taking into
consideration geotechnical requirements (i.e. bearing capacity and settlement) and
cost to achieve the optimum thickness of replacement layers and the most suitable
material corresponding to minimum total cost of foundation works.
11
2.6 Consistency and bearing test performed on tested soil and natural soil

The soil studied was treated by adding of 3 and 5% of lime (S+3L and S+5L). The
same percentages were applied to the soil treated with cement (S+3C and S+5C) in
order to compare the results of binder effects. However, for the mixed treatment, the
lime was added firstly at a percentage of 1% (pretreatment) and then 2 and 4% of
cement was added to the soil (S+1L+2C and S+1L+4C). The experiments were
conducted to determine the Atterbergs limits, compaction characteristics and
California Bearing Ratio (CBR). The tests were carried out according to European
and French test standards (AFNOR 1993, 1999, 1997).

2.7 Durability test performed on treated soil

The durability test is used to ensure the sustainability of the soil. The test is conducted
according to an ASTM standard test method D 559-96 (ASTM 1996). The latter
covers procedures for determining losses in the soil binder, water content changes and
volume changes (swelling and shrinkage) produced by repeated wetting and drying of
soil-cement specimens. These test methods are applied to soil treated with cement, but
it can be generalized for other soil-binders, such as soil treated with lime. Samples
were prepared with varying binder contents. A set of two specimens were prepared for
each mixture. These specimens were compacted at the optimum moisture content
obtained from the Proctor compaction test. The test requires measurements and
samples handling for each cycle of wetting and drying procedures over 24 days.

2.8 Stabilization of fuel oil contaminated soil

Fuel oil contamination brings adverse effect on basic geotechnical properties of

foundation soil. The present study pertains to one such case, from the petrochemical
complex near Vadodara City in Gujarat State, India. Here, the fuel oil contaminated
soil samples exhibit drastic changes in their geotechnical parameters. Noteworthy
among such deleterious changes are: decrease in maximum dry density (_4%),
cohesion (66%), angle of internal friction (23%) and unconfined compressive strength
(UCS) (_35%) and increase in liquid limit (11%). An attempt has been made to
stabilize the contaminated soil using various additives viz., lime, fly ash and cement
independently as well as an admixture of different combinations. It is apparent from
the test results that the stabilization agents improved the geotechnical properties of the
soil by way of cation exchange, agglomeration, and pozzolanic actions. The best
results were observed when a combination of 10% lime, 5% fly ash and 5% cement
was added to the contaminated soil. The improvement in unconfined compressive
strength (UCS), cohesion and angle of internal friction can be attributed to neo-
formations such as Calcium Silicate Hydrates (CSH, CSH_1) that coats and binds the
soil particles. Formation of stable complex between oil and metallic cations, results in
reduction of
leachable oil.
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1. MATERIALS

Following are the materials which are to be used in this study.

3.1.1. Soil

In this study, the soil under investigation is collected from Nadiad (Latitude 22.70000
N & Longitude 72.87000 E), Gujarat where the road is going to pass, Ahmedabad to
Vadodara NH8. The visual examination indicated that soil under investigation is
brown in color made of fine particles that cause it to stick together when wet,
preventing normal drainage processes. Once it is wet it does not become dry soon. In
like manner, when thoroughly dry, it is not soon wetted and shrinks causing cracks

3.1.2. Cement
Cement is increasingly used as a stabilizing material for soils, particularly for the
construction of highways. It can be used to stabilize sandy and clayey soils. The
cement has an effect to decrease the liquid limit and to increase the plasticity index.
The quantities of Portland Pozzolana cement is a multi-mineral compound made up of
oxides of calcium, silica, alumina and iron. Portland Pozzolana cement is a multi-
mineral compound made up of oxides of calcium, silica, alumina and iron. In presence
of suitable amount of water, PCC hydrates help to stabilize flocculated clay particles
through cementation. In these studies, 2 % of Portland pozzolana cement is used with
the soil under investigation.

3.2. TEST RESULTS

Various tests were performing for identify the Engineering property of soil as per
Indian Standard are as below:

3.2.1. Test Result of Untreated Soil

3.2.1.1 Atterberg Limits of Soil: As far as possible, they are an essential measure of the
way of a fine grained soil. The behavior of the soil is related to the amount of water
in the system and may show up in four states in particular Solid, Semi solid,
Plastic, Liquid. In each, one express the consistency and conduct of a soil is
 distinctive and along these lines are its designing properties. Therefore, the limit
between each one state can be characterized focused around a change in the Soil's
conduct. The cutoff points were refined by Arther Casagrande.
3.2.1.2 Plasticity Index: It is the range of water content over which a soil behaves
plastically. It is defined as the range of consistency with in which the soil exhibit
plastic properties i.e. the numerical difference between the liquid limit and plastic
limit.
3.2.1.3 Soil: Soil consistence provides a means of describing the degree and kind of cohesion
and adhesion between the soil particles as related to the resistance of the soil to
deform or rupture

Grain size distribution Atterbergs Limit FSI

Gravel(%) Sand(%) Silt/Clay(%) L.L(%) P.L(%) P.I(%) (%)
Inorganic 3.56 37.64 58.80 30.40 19.43 10.97 17.50
clay soil

Table 1: Soil Classification, FSI & Atterbergs Limit

3.2.1.4 Stabilizing Agent: A balancing out specialists is a mechanical, chemical or bituminous

added substance used to keep up or build the properties of soil or other material
utilized as a part of development.
The knowledge of the soil consistency is important in defining or classifying a soil
type or predicting soil performance when used as a construction material. The soil
consistency is a practical and an inexpensive way to distinguish between silts and
clays. IS code 2720 (part V 1985) is followed for evaluating the Atterbergs limits in
the laboratory for classification of soil. The test result for untreated soil is shown in
table
The soil is characterized as inorganic clay (CL) with low plasticity as per unified soil
classification system (USCS) as fine grained soil passing 0.075 mm sieve is more than
50percent and liquid limit falls in the range of 0 to 35.

3.2.1.5 Compaction result for Untreated Soil

Maximum density and optimum moisture are needed for field control during
compaction so as to achieve satisfactory results. IS: 2720 (Part VII 1978) is
followed for compaction test was on inorganic clayey soil with low plasticity (CL).
From this test Moisture Dry Density and Optimum Moisture Content are found out as
shown in Fig.

Fig 1: MDD Vs OMC Graph for soil

3.2.1.6 CBR Result of Untreated Soil

As per IS: 2720 (Part 16 1987) CBR test was performed for 100 % inorganic clayey
soil with low plasticity (CL), remolded at OMC (10.10%) & MDD (2.052%). The
surcharge weight of 5.0 kg is placed on the sample and was soaked for 96 hours.
During testing, initial loading is applied on it so that the plunger is properly in contact
with soil and penetration values are consistent with respect to the load applied.

Fig 2:Load penetration curve for untreated soil

 Standard penetration Load*100/Std. load CBR (%)
2.5 mm (78*100)/1370 5.69
5 mm (136.5*100)/2055 6.64

Table 2: CBR value from graph

As the value of CBR at 5 mm is more, tests were repeated and values again obtained
were more than CBR at 2.5 mm hence CBR at 5 mm is considered.

3.2.2 Test Result for Treated Soil with Cement

The collected soils and 2 % cement content was oven dried at 105 C overnight to
remove moisture and repress microbial activity. The oven dried samples were mixed
thoroughly by hand in a large tray in a dry state. The index property of soil is
obtained from Atterbergs test result.

Atterbergs Limit
L.L(%) P.L(%) P.I(%)
26 16.5 9.95

3.2.2.1 Compaction result for treated soil

Fig 3: MDD vs OMC for soil +2%

Cement
In field control, maximum dry density for specific input energy level is carried out on
fine grained soil with 2 % cement as additive with suitable amount of water is added
to lubricate the contact surfaces of soil particles and improve the compressibility of
the soil matrix added prior to achieve compaction mechanically increasing the density
of soil. The densification of soil is achieved by reducing air void space

3.2.2.2 CBR result of treated soil

Fig 4:CBR Graph for soil + 2% Cement

Standard penetration Load*100/Std. load CBR (%)

2.5 mm (257.40*100)/1370 18.79
5 mm (448.50*100)/2055 21.82

Table 3: CBR value from Graph

There is a significant change in CBR value is noted for CL soil with 2% PCC content.
The graph shows that the value of CBR at 5 mm is more compared to 2.5 mm
penetration. Tests were repeated as per the codal practice and values again obtained
for 5 mm penetration is more than CBR at 2.5 mm penetration, hence CBR at 5 mm is
considered for carrying out study.
 CHAPTER 4
CONCLUSIONS

In this, experiments were conducted to stabilize the inorganic clay with low plasticity
with fixed 2% PCC. The following conclusions are drawn.

1) There is a need for enhancing the engineering characteristics of CL soil for

road construction by the addition of 2% PCC so that the engineering property
of clayey soil is improved. It has been noted that liquid limit decreases and
plastic limit values are declining but the plasticity is decreasing compared with
untreated soil. The increase in maximum dry density is a result of flocculation
and agglomeration of inorganic clay with low plasticity soil particles with
PCC which is due to the result of initial coating of soils by cement to form
larger aggregate, which consequently occupy larger spaces.
2) Comparing CBR value of untreated CL soil and same treated with 2 % PCC
indicates the good rise from 6.64 % to 21.82 %. This signifies that the strength
of subgrade soil is improved thereby increasing the load carrying capacity of
pavement. From economy point of view benefit associated with the utilization
of 2 percent PCC is attractive and supports the sustainable development in
road construction.
3) By doing stabilization total pavement construction cost is reduced up to 15.5
%. Even though the savings in cost is less, but the improvement of the strength
of the pavement is really considerable
4) There is an essential need to study the technique of removal and replacement
for improving soil behavior taking into consideration geotechnical
requirements and cost to achieve the optimum replacement layer thickness and
the most suitable material corresponding to minimum total cost of foundation
works
5) Soil improvement is also applied to improve the mechanical characteristics of
contaminated soft soil by immobilizing heavy metals and other soil
contaminants. Many techniques have been developed to immobilise
contaminated sediments. These include dewatering the sediment to reduce the
quantity of soil, or combining the sediment with additives, such as mixing
sediment with cement which allows the recycle use of the sediment as
construction and/or reclamation material

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 REFERENCES

1) A.C.S.V. Prasad, C.N.V. Satya Narayana Reddy, The Potential of

Cement Stabilized Gravelly Soils as Construction Material,
Proceedings of Indian Geotechnical Conference December, 2011,
Kochi.
2) BS 1377-4 1990, Method of Test for Soils for Civil Engineering
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