State-Of-The-Art Review on Improvement of Strength Characteristics of Soil Using Nano Silica

Abstract

This paper reviews the importance of nanotechnology for the constructive result in soil strength improvement. Nano silica is used as an additive to strengthen the weak soil through the compressive strength test. Various geotechnical test results such as standard proctor, Atterberg’s limit, hydraulic conductivity, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and direct shear tests were analyzed. In addition, static and cyclic triaxial tests performed by using nano silica on different soil condition were studied. Furthermore, this paper also describes the microstructural characteristics and underlying mechanism of the composite materials by studying the performance of SEM, XRD, etc. test results. From the test results, it was concluded that a very small amount of nano silica can significantly improve the strength properties of weak soil. Hence, it can be effectively used as an additive to strengthen the strength properties of weak soil.KeywordsNano silicaUCSSEMXRDCyclic triaxial