Assessment of strength development in stabilized soil with CBR PLUS and silica sand

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates the potential use of a nano polymer stabilizer, namely CBR PLUS for stabilization of soft clay and formulation of an optimal mix design of stabilized soil with CBR PLUS and silica sand. The highway settlements induced by the soft clay are problematic due to serious damages in the form of cracks and deformation. With respect to this, soil compaction and stabilization is regarded as a viable method to treat shallow soft clayey ground for supporting highway embankment. The objectives of this paper are: i) to stabilize the compacted soil with CBR PLUS and silica sand in the laboratory; and ii) to evaluate the permeability, strength and California bearing ratio (CBR) of the untreated and stabilized soil specimens. The suitability of stabilized soil was examined on the basis of standard Proctor compaction, CBR, unconfined compression, direct shear, and falling head permeability tests. Furthermore, the chemical composition of the materials was determined using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) test. It was found that the optimal mix design of the stabilized soil is 90% clay, 1% CBR PLUS, 9% silica sand. It is further revealed that, stabilization increases the CBR and unconfined compressive strength of the combinations by almost 6-fold and 1.8-fold respectively. In summary, a notable discovery is that the optimum mix design can be sustainably applied to stabilize the shallow clay without failure.