Shrinkage and Strength Characteristics of Expansive Soil Amended with Bagasse Ash and Lime

Abstract

Bagasse ash (BA) is a non-environmental waste product gathered from sugarcane manufacturing industries. As a result of the large accumulation and shortage of disposal yards, handling BA has become an immediate challenge. This paper presents studies on the Atterberg limit, shrinkage index, linear shrinkage after 7 days of curing, compaction, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests (following 7 days of curing) of BA and lime-BA assorted expansive soil (ES) by differing BA content from 0 to 18% at an interval of 3% and adding 4% lime by dry weight of ES. The outcomes disclosed that the inclusion of BA and lime beneficially controls the shrinkage attribute. According to the research, changes in moisture-density correlations resulted in reduced maximum dry densities (MDD) and greater optimal moisture content (OMC). The volume change characteristic of ES can be mitigated by mixing BA and lime. In addition, test findings showed that both BA and lime-BA enhanced axial stress while reducing axial strain. As a result, a substance that was once thought to be a misery to the environment and society has become a benefit to the civil engineering industry.