AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON SOIL STABILIZATION OF EXPANSIVE SOIL BY USING INORGANIC CHEMICALS

Expansive soils in India are a boon to farmers but problematic to civil engineers, particularly to geotechnical engineers. Foundation structures experience large scale damage due to change in properties of soil. The design of foundations and pavements founded on swelling soils always involve a certain degree of risk and damage. Usually high degree of risk is associated even with the lowest cost of the design alternative. Thus it is necessary to explore various foundation alternatives in expansive soils. The foundation alternatives include: Strip foundation, Pad foundation, Pad and beam foundation, Pile and beam foundation, Pier and beam foundation, Reinforced Strip or Stiffened foundation, Skirted footing and Skirted stone column etc. These methods have several limitations. Also there are simple techniques such as Pre-wetting, Environmental control with limited applicability. Most feasible methods rely on improving the soil properties. There are several techniques available to improve the soil properties. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to study the effect of the chemicals like Sodium Carbonate (Na2C03), Calcium Carbonate (CaC03), on the geotechnical properties of an expansive soil. Maximum improvement found in CBR value when 1.00% of the chemical used in case of Sodium Carbonate (Na2C03) and Calcium Carbonate (CaC03) and after all calculations it is found that Calcium Carbonate (CaC03) is more effective in improving the CBR values of the admixed soil when compared to Sodium carbonate.