Expansive Soil Stabilization using Coconut Shell Powder and Lime

Abstract

Expansive soils denote clayey soil that not only possess the tendency to swell but also to shrink when the prevailing moisture condition is allowed to change. There are various methods for improving the properties of expansive soil. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of coconut shell powder and lime in stabilizing the expansive soil collected from Chittoor of Palakkad district, Kerala. Coconut shell powder (CSP) and lime are commonly available materials and are also economical. This paper presents the improvement of compressive strength of expansive soil when stabilized with different dosages of coconut shell powder (0%, 3%, 6%, 9% and 12%) and lime (3%, 6% and 9%). The tests were conducted for various dosages of coconut shell powder and lime after curing periods of 0, 7 and 28 day in order to study the drying and wetting properties. From the results we inferred that coconut shell powder and lime are effective in improving the properties of expansive soil.