Mud Stabilization

Mud/soil stabilization may be broadly

defined as the alteration or preservation
of one or more soil properties to improve
the engineering characteristics and
performance of soil.
The engineering properties of
mud
 Compressive strength
 Water absorption
 Cracking
 Expansion and shrinkage
Mud stabilization can be achieved
either by addition of stabilizers as well as
through physical methods.
 Soil stabilizers
• Natural and locally available
stabilizers
• Chemical stabilizers
Naturally available stabilizers
• Sand and clay
• Straw, plant fibres
• Plant juices
• Wood ashes
• Animal excreta
• Other animal products
Industrial products/by-products

• Lime and • Commercial soil

pozzolanas stabilizers
• Portland cement • Sodium silicate
• Gypsum • Resins
• Bitumen • Whey(caseins)
• Molasses
Sand and clay
• Sand is added to clayey soil and clay is
added to sandy soils
• Mixing should be done in dry state
• Lumps are crushed well
Straw, plant fibres
 These act as reinforcements to check cracking.
 They make soil lighter, increases insulating
properties and accelerate drying.
 Straw of wheat, barley ,rye etc. and other fibrous
materials like elephant grass coir bagasse etc.
are commonly used.
 Excessive use weakens end product.
 Fibres are chopped to a length not more than 6
cms.
Straw stabilized mudblocks
Plant juices
 The juice of banana leaves precipitated
with lime improves erosion resistance and
water absorption.
 Latex and sisal juice reduces permeability.
 Vegetable oils like coconut oil, cotton oil,
linseed oil, castor oil, kapok oil and fats
provide water resistance.
Wood ashes
 Ash from hardwood is usually rich in
calcium carbonate and has
stabilising properties but is not suitable
for clayey soils.
 5-10% of fine, white hardwood ash by
volume is very effective for dry
compressive strength.
Animal excreta and animal
products
 They are used to stabilize renderings.
 Cow dung, with its fibres has good
reinforcing properties and repels insects,
but reduces compressive strength.
 Horseurine with lime eliminates cracking
and improves resistance to erosion.
 Fresh bulls blood reduces cracking.
 Animal hair and fur provides reinforcements.
 Animal glues improve moisture resistance.
 Pulverised termite hills are added to sandy
soil.
Lime and pozzolanas
 Lime reacts with clay to form a binder, hence it is
suitable for clayey soil.
 Quick lime of correct proportion is to be added
to soil by proper crushing and mixing and cured
in sufficient temperature and moisture.
 Slaked lime has lesser drawbacks.
 Limestone with clay content
produces a special type of lime
called hydraulic lime which sets and
hardens like cement. This reduces the
period of curing ,but results in lower
strength.
 Fly ash and rice husk are the other
pozzolana alternatives.
Portland cement
 Portland cements binds the sand particles in the
same way as in concrete i.e., it reacts with water
in the soil mixture to produce a substance which
fills the voids, forming a continuous film around
each particle, binding them altogether.
 Portland cement is a stabilizer which provides
the great strength as well as resistance to water
penetration, swelling and shrinkage.
Gypsum
 Gypsum is abundantly available in many
countries either as natural gypsum or as industrial
by-product and is cheaper than lime or
cement.
 The advantages of stabilization of gypsum are
low shrinkage, smooth appearance and high
mechanical strength. Also gypsum binds well
with fibres and is not attacked by pests.
 The main disadvantage of gypsum is it’s solubility
in water.
Bitumen

 Bitumen can either be used as a cutback

or as an emulsion.
 Bitumensignificantly reduces water
absorption.
Mechanical stabilizers
Mechanical stabilization involve two
operations
1)Change in composition of soil by
addition or removal of certain
constituent
2)Densification or compaction
For mechanical stabilization, where the
primary purpose is to have soil resistant to
deformation and displacement under loads,
soil material can be divided into two
fractions, the granular fraction maintained
on a 75 micron sieve and the one passing.
The granular fraction impart strength and
hardness. The fine fraction provide cohesion
or binding property, inter retention capacity
and also acts as a filler for the voids of the
coarse fraction.
Mechanical stabilization of road
Rammed earth construction
Mechanical methods of compaction are the simplest
way of mud stabilization.
Chemical Stabilizers
CALCIUM CHLORIDE
 It is used as a water retentive additive in
mechanical stabilized basis and surfacing
SODIUM CHLORIDE
 It attracts and retains moisture and reduces rate
of evaporation .
 Another beneficial phenomenon is the
crystallisation of the salt in the soil pores near the
surface, which reduces further evaporation and
shrinkage cracks.
SODIUM SILICATE
 It is used in combination with calcium
chloride, as an injection for stabilizing
deep deposits of soil.
 It forms a precipitate in the form of
insoluble silica gel within soil pores
making soil impervious of water and
increasing its shearing strength.
Stabilization By Heating
Heating fine grained soil to temperatures of the
order of 400 -600oC brings about irreversible
changes in clay minerals. The soil becomes non-
plastic, less water sensitive and non-expansive.
Also the clogs get converted into aggregate. Soil
can be backed in kilns, or in situ downwards draft
slow moving furnaces. The artificial aggregates so
produced can be used for mechanical
stabilisation.
Electrical stabilization
 The stability or shear strength of fine grained soils can be
increased by draining them with the passage of direct
current through them. This process is also known as
electro osmosis.
 Electrical drainage is accompanied by electro-chemical
composition of the electrodes and the deposition of
metal salt in the soil pores.
 There may also be some changes in the structure of soil.
The resulting cementing of soil due to all these reactions
is also known as electro-chemical hardening and for this
purpose, the use of Al anodes is recommended.
Electro-
Osmosis