Consolidation and Drainage Characteristics of Expansive Soil Stabilized with Fly Ash and Dolochar

Abstract

Expansive soils undergo alternate swelling and shrinkage due to cyclic wetting and drying when left to nature. This property of Expansive soil affects its strength and stiffness characteristics thereby causing damage and distress to structures built on them. Industrial wastes can be added scientifically to these soils in modifying and reducing their swelling and shrinkage behaviour and increasing their strength and stiffness. In this technical article, an attempt has been made to study the compressibility and drainage characteristics of these soils using economic and ecofriendly industrial wastes such as Fly Ash and Dolochar as stabilizers. This paper also focuses on many other improved engineering properties of base soil like liquid limit, plasticity index, differential free swell, compaction and consolidation characteristics of Expansive (BC) soil stabilized with Fly Ash and Dolochar in different proportions. The virgin Expansive soil has been collected from eastern part of India (Odisha) and different percentages of Fly Ash (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 %) and Dolochar (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 %) were added to it, to predict the influence of these additives on compaction and consolidation characteristics of Expansive soil. Addition of both Fly Ash and Dolochar were found to decrease the index properties such as liquid limit, plastic limit, plasticity index, swelling index and enhancing the consolidation as well as drainage characteristics of Expansive soil. However, the maximum dry density of soil was found to decrease with addition of Fly Ash and increase with addition of Dolochar.