Experimental and Numerical Performance Evaluation of Cement-Calcined Kaolin-River Sand-Clay Mixture as a Highway Material

Abstract

This study evaluated the performance of cement-calcined kaolin and river sand stabilized clayey soil classified as A-7-6(3) used for a subbase of a flexible pavement in other to achieve a cost effective and environmental friendly solution to high cost construction materials. The percentages of River sand and calcined kaolin used for stabilization ranged from 0 to 20%, while the percentages of cement were kept constant at 4 and 6%. An increase in percentage of Calcined Kaolin increased the percentage of the fines, while the increase in the percentage of the River sand led to an increase in coarseness of the soil. Atterberg limits of the soil decreased with the increase in the River Sand percentage for 4 and 6% cement, but increased with the increase in the Calcined Kaolin. The soil OMC decreased from 14.2 to 11.3% at the highest addition of the River sand (OMK20RS) at 4% cement while it increased progressively with the increase in the Calcined Kaolin up to 18.2%. Displacement of the pavement was reduced by about 98.8% when used to model subbase of pavement using Plaxis, therefore cement-calcined kaolin-River sand can be used effectively for subbase and subgrade of a pavement.