Strength and durability of flyash, GGBS and cement clinker stabilized dispersive soil

Abstract

Dispersive soils are highly susceptible to erosion due to higher sodium content, and it deflocculates in the presence of flowing water. Under saturated conditions, the attractive forces are less than the repulsive forces, and this will help the particle to segregate and to move in suspension. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to stabilize the dispersive soil with cement clinker, ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and flyash. Samples were prepared with the different predetermined proportions of dispersive soil, cement clinker, GGBS, and fly ash to determine the strength and durability of the stabilized soils. Results of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) are found to be increased significantly by mixing additives in different proportions. From the results of the UCS tests, the optimum mix proportion was obtained with the mixing of 20% of flyash, 15% of GGBS and 30% of cement clinker in dispersive soil. Outcomes of this study suggest that the combined mixture of cement clinker, flyash, and GGBS are more effective to improve the strength than an alone mix. To evaluate the effect of freeze-thaw cycles and water immersion aging on the strength properties of different mix proportion, 0, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 cycles freeze-thaw tests and 32 days water immersion tests were done on cylindrical samples at 7, 14, 28, 60 and 90 days curing periods. A coefficient of strength loss/gain was also defined to determine the influence of freezing-thawing and water immersion aging on the durability of the mix proportion. The X-raydiffraction tests (XRD) divulge the formation of hydrated particles play a vital role to enhance the strength because of the reaction between the soil and the additives.