Impact of rice husk ash and xanthan gum in road works by improving the characteristics of expansive soil (black cotton soil)– an inclusive study

Abstract

The soils of Indian Black Cotton are well-known examples of Expansive soils, which display significant swelling and shrinkage in response to changes in moisture content. The distressing cyclical swelling and shrinking of soils under moisture fluctuations lead to serious failures. Stabilization of soil can be used to improve it in order to get around this. An agricultural industrial waste called rice husk ash is created when rice husk, a byproduct of paddy milling, is burned. In delta regions, it is widely distributed. It is a pozzolanic material that is widely distributed in India and has potential use in a number of geotechnical areas. In this stabilisation process, black cotton soil is mixed with RHA-lime and various percentages of cementitious material, particularly lime. Tests such as plasticity, compaction, swell, and CBR were also conducted with different water contents of OMCs (such as OMC + 2% water content and OMC + 5% water content). From the test findings, it can be concluded that adding lime reduces flexibility and increases strength. With the addition of RHA and lime, expansive soil gets higher CBR values at varied water contents more than 50% for dosages of 10% lime + 20% RHA and 10% lime + 30% RHA. The expansive soil becomes non-plastic, non-swelling, and has increased strengths, making it suitable for use as a building material for roads.