Enhancement of Expansive Soil with Addition of Wood Husk Ash and Silica Fume

Abstract

Soil is the foundation material which supports loads from an overlying structure; it mainly consists of minerals, organic matter, liquids etc. In India the soil most present is Clay, using which the construction of sub grade is deemed problematic. as Clayey soils are expansive soils. The problem of using clayey soil for civil engineering constructions has been observed since early ages.. On the basis of type of soil, soil stabilization is undertaken and is a major technology in construction engineering. Soil strengthening refers to the process of enhancing physical, chemical and mechanical properties of soil to maintain its stability. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to improve the engineering properties of locally available clayey soil near Mahabalipuram by making a composite mix with silica fume and wood ash with equal composition in various proportions. Addition of such materials will increase the physical as well as chemical properties of the soil. study, experimental investigations are carried out to study the beneficial effects of stabilizing Clay soil using silica fume and wood ash with 3%, 5% and 7%. The tests were conducted in order to evaluate the improvement in strength characteristics of the sub graded soil. The parameters tested included the Atterberg limits, Modified Proctor Density, California bearing ratio (CBR). Results showed that the geotechnical parameters of clay soil improved substantially by the addition of wood husk ash and silica fume