Study on Geotechnical Properties of Expansive Soil Treated with Quarry Dust and Sodium Hydroxide

Expansive soils have problems to civil engineers in general and to geotechnical engineers in particular because of alternate swell and shrinkage, distress is caused to the foundations of structures laid on such soils. Stabilization of the expansive soil is studied by using quarry dust and Sodium Hydroxide. This paper includes the evaluation of soil properties like compaction and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests by blending different percentages of quarry dust and sodium Hydroxide with a view to determine the effect on strength characteristics and optimum percentages. . From the experimental results, it has been observed that various properties of soil added with these stabilizers at certain percentage show remarkable positive changes as compared to the expansive soil. The value of compaction parameters has increased enabling increase California Bearing Ratio in soaked conditions which indicates that improved in strength. From these results, it was found that optimum quarry dust 20 % and Sodium Hydroxide 5 % combination gives the maximum increment in the CBR value compared with all the other combinations.