Stabilization of Red Soil using Potassium Hydroxide Treated Polypropylene Fiber

Abstract

Red soil is not commonly used alike other kind of soils in engineering field. So, a trial is created to stabilize the red soil by adding potassium hydroxide treated polypropylene fibers. This project work aims to search out the effect of addition of 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1%, 1.25% treated polypropylene fibers to stabilize the red soil. Its consistency properties, compaction properties, and strength parameter are tested. In this project the results of addition of treated polypropylene fiber is investigated and is compared therewith of the untreated red soil. The testing program was conducted in two phases. Within the first phase, the physical, and chemical engineering properties of the red soil samples were studied by conducting Specific gravity, Grain size distribution, Liquid limit, Plastic limit, UCS and CBR Tests. Within the second phase of the test program, red soil was mixed with 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1% of treated polypropylene fiber as percentage of dry weight of red soil. After mixing different percentage of polypropylene fiber and conducting various tests we ought to observed that the value of UCS was increased by 93.12% at 0.75% PP fiber, which makes clear that higher load can be beared after adding it. The value of MDD was also increased by 3.3 %. The soaked CBR value has been increased from 4.24% to 6.37% with 0.75% of polypropylene fiber by which it’s cleared that it can be used for pavement in areas where water table is high. Unsoaked CBR value has been increased from 8.32% to 11.06% with 0.75% of polypropylene fiber.Which make clear that we can increases the slope of pavement for stability of slope and also reduce the thickness of pavement in highway and railway which reduces the cost of construction.So, we observed that 0.75 % of treated polypropylene fiber can be used to stabilize the red soil.