A Project Report

On
STABILIZATION OF BLACK COTTON SOIL USING FLY-ASH
AND LIME
Submitted to
Amity University, Uttar Pradesh

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree

Of
Bachelor of Technology
In
Civil Engineering by
ISHAAN SAINI (A2315814095)
ABHAY BHARDWAJ (A2315814128)
DWARIKA PRASAD (A2315814141)
Under the guidance of
Mr. Ashish Kumar Kashyap
(Assistant Professer)
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
AMITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AMITY UNIVERSITY, UTTAR PRADESH
(NOIDA, U.P)
April 2018

i
 DECLERATION

We, Ishaan Saini, Abhay Bhardwaj and Dwarika Prasad, students of B.Tech (Civil)
hereby declare that the project titled “Stabilization of Black Cotton Soil using Fly-ash
& Lime”, which is submitted by us to the Department of Civil Engineering, Amity
School of Engineering and Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, in
partial fulfillment of requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of
Technology in Civil Engineering has not been previously formed the basis for the
award of any degree, diploma or other similar title or recognition.

NOIDA Name and Signature of Student(s)

Date: Ishaan Saini

Abhay Bhardwaj

Dwarika Prasad

ii
 CERTIFICATE

On the basis of declaration submitted Ishaan Saini, Abhay Bhardwaj and Dwarika
Prasad of B. Tech (Civil Engineering), I hereby certify that the project titled
“Stabilization of Black Cotton Soil using Fly-Ash and Lime” which is submitted to
Department of Civil Engineering, Amity School of Engineering and Technology,
Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida , in partial fulfilment of the requirement for
the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering, is an original
contribution with existing knowledge and faithful record of work carried out by
him/them under my guidance and supervision.

To the best of my knowledge, this work has not been submitted in part or full for any
Degree or Diploma to this University or elsewhere.

PLACE: NOIDA Mr ASHISH KUMAR KASHYAP

Date: Assistant Professor

Department of Civil Engineering

Amity School of Engg & Tech

Amity University, UP, Noida

iii
 DECLARATION FORM

I, Abhay Bhardwaj, student of B.Tech Civil Engineering, Enrolment No.

A2315814095, Batch 2014 - 2018, Department of Civil Engineering, Amity School of
Engineering and Technology, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, Noida, hereby declare
that I have gone through project guidelines including policy on health and safety,
policy on plagiarism etc.

Date: Student Signature

Place: NOIDA

iv
 DECLARATION FORM

I, Ishaan Saini, student of B.Tech Civil Engineering, Enrolment No. A2315814095,

Batch 2014 - 2018, Department of Civil Engineering, Amity School of Engineering
and Technology, Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, Noida, hereby declare that I have
gone through project guidelines including policy on health and safety, policy on
plagiarism etc.

Date: Student Signature

Place: NOIDA

v
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A work without the blessing and guidance of our elders is always half done and
unsatisfactory. We express our sincere gratitude to our faculty guide Mr Ashish
Kumar Kashyap, Department of Civil Engineering, Amity School of Engineering and
Technology, who have not only readily accepted to be a supporter but also sincerely
helped us the most and saw that the project is going up to date.

We would also like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratefulness
towards our other faculties, for sharing their views on the topic and giving their
valuable suggestions and information, which guided us during our study and make it
so meaningful

We would also like to thank our Faculty guide, Mr Ashish Kumar Kashyap for
providing us with this opportunity.

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 ABSTRACT

From the recent past years people are facing the problems on construction of road on
black cotton soil. In construction of roads on BC soils, the behavior of soils with
respect to water poses a big problem.

The soil undergoes high swelling shrinkage and has poor subgrade strength.
Stabilization of sub grade soil helps to achieve required strength of subgrade,
eliminate the associated problems and this reduces the thickness of pavement.

Our project aims to stabilize black cotton soil using fly ash and lime mixture; thus the
project work includes finding optimum proportion of soil, fly ash, lime mixture which
is acceptable, applicable and economical.

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 CONTENTS

Chapter 1 : Introduction ___________________1____________1

1.1 General____________________________________________________________2.
1.2 Justification of the Research ___________________________________________2.
1.3 Objectives and Scope ________________________________________________2.
1.4 Need for Soil Stabilization____________________________________________ 3
1.4.1 General Applications
14.2 Advantages
1.5 Thesis Outline______________________________________________________ 5.

CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE REVIEW__________________ 7.

2.1 General___________________________________________________________ 7.
2.2 Stabalisation Using lime______________________________________________ 7.
2.3 Stabalization Using Fly Ash___________________________________________ 9.
2.4 Fly-ash + Lime Treatment for Stabilization_______________________________ 11.

CHAPTER 3 : MATERIALS & METHODOLOGY___________ 13.

3.1 Materials _______________________________________________________13.
3.1.1 Black Cotton Soil

3.1.2 Fly Ash

3.1.3 Lime

3.2 Factors Affecting Stability__________________________________________ 17.

3.3 Methodology____________________________________________________ 17.

CHAPTER 4 : PRELIMINARY TESTS______________________ 19.

4.1 General____________________________________________________________ 19.
4.2 Particle Size Analysis_________________________________________________ 19.
4.3 Specific Gravity Test_________________________________________________ 21.

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 4.4 Ateerberg’s Limit Test________________________________________________ 22.
4.4.1 Liquid Limit Test

4.4.2 Plastic Limit Test

4.5 Standard Procter Test_________________________________________________ 24.

4.6 California Bearing Ratio Test___________________________________________ 26.
4.7 Unconfined Compression Test__________________________________________ 28.

CHAPTER 5 : RESULTS AND DISCUSSION________________ 31.

5.1 Standard Procter Test_________________________________________________ 31.
5.2 Sieve Analysis______________________________________________________ 33.
5.3 Specific Gravity_____________________________________________________ 34.
5.4 Atterberg’s Limits___________________________________________________ 34.
5.5 Unconfined Compression Test__________________________________________ 35.

CHAPTER 6 : CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE_______ 36.

6.1 Conclusion_________________________________________________________ 36.
6.2 Future Scope________________________________________________________ 36.

REFERENCES__________________________________________ 37.

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 LIST OF FIGURES

1.1.Crushed up Black Cotton Soil ____________________________________________ 1.

1.2.Before and After the stabalization of BC soil ________________________________ 3.
1.3. Basic Outline Of Thesis ________________________________________________ 6.
3.1.Map Showing Distribution of major soils in India ___________________________ 13.
3.2.Factors affecting stability of mixtures____________________________________ 17.
4.1.Particle Size analysis apparatus__________________________________________ 20.

4.2.Specific gravity apparatus______________________________________________ 21.

4.3.Cassagrande apparatus_________________________________________________ 23.

4.4.Performing PL on BC soil______________________________________________ 24.

4.5.Standard procter apparatus______________________________________________ 26.

4.6.CBR test apparatus____________________________________________________ 28.

4.7.Mohr’s circle forunconfined compression test______________________________ 30.

4.8.UCS test on uniform compression machine________________________________ 30.

5.1. MDD Values for different % of lime and fly ash______________________ 32.

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 LIST OF TABLES

3.1 Physical properties of soil

3.2 Physical properties of fly ash
3.3 Chemical properties of fly ash
3.4 Chemical properties of lime
3.5 Test planning and sample preparation
4.1 Standard load values of CBR test
5.1 MDD values of various % of flyash and lime
5.2 OMC values of various % of flyash and lime
5.3 Sieve analysis
5.4 Atterberg’s limit
5.5 Unconfined compression test

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Chapter-1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 General Description

The strength and life of any structure depends on its foundation. For that
reason, soil is a critical element influencing the success of any construction project.
Soil is an important part of the foundation and any construction process. Therefore,
understanding the engineering properties of soil is crucial to obtain strength and
economic permanence. Soil stabilization is the process of maximizing the suitability
of soil for a given construction purpose.

Soil is the basic construction material. It supports the substructure of any

structure and it is the subgrade which supports the sub base/base in the pavement. The
existing soil at a location may not be suitable for the construction due to poor bearing
capacity and higher compressibility or even sometimes excessive swelling in case of
expansive soils.

The improvement of soil at a site is indispensable due to rising cost of the

land, and there is huge demand for high rise buildings. There is a need to concentrate
on improving properties of soils using cost effective practices.

Soil stabilization means the improvement of stability or bearing power of the

soil using controlled compaction or the addition of suitable admixture or stabilizers.
Unstable soil creates variety of problems ranging in severity from workable soil to
dangerous and unattractive muddy soil.

The necessity of improving the engineering properties of soil has been

recognized for as long as construction has existed. Many ancient cultures, including
the Chinese, Romans, and Incas, utilized various techniques to improve soil stability,
some of which were so effective that many of the buildings and roadways they
constructed still exist today.

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In the United States, the modern era of soil stabilization began during the1960s and
’70s, when general shortages of aggregates and petroleum resources forced engineers
to consider alternatives to the conventional technique of replacing poor soils at
building sites and stabilize the weak soils. This time, however, soil stabilization is
benefiting from better research, materials and equipment.

In general soil stabilization consists of two elements; increase the stiffness of

Soil and maintain stiffness by maintaining correct moisture content. This practice can
be used to lower the compressibility of soil and therefore reduce the settlement when
structures building on it.

The term soil stabilization means the improvement of the stability or bearing
Power of the soil by controlled compaction or by the addition of suitable admixtures
and stabilizers. Soil stabilization deals with Physio-chemical and Chemical Methods
to make the stabilized soil serve its purpose as pavement component material. Soil
Stabilization is the alteration of soils to enhance their physical properties.

Fig 1.1 – Crushed up Black Cotton Soil

Stabilization can increase the shear strength of a soil and/or control the shrink-
swell properties of a soil, thus improving the load bearing capacity of a sub grade to
support pavements and foundations. Stabilization can be used to treat a wide range of
sub grade materials, varying from expansive clays to granular materials.

1
 This process is accomplished using a wide variety of additives, including lime,
fly-ash, and Portland cement. Other materials by products used in stabilization include
lime-kiln dust and cement-kiln dust. Proper design and testing is an important
component of any stabilization project. This testing will establish proper design
criteria in determining the proper additive and admixture rate to be used to achieve the
desired engineering properties.

1.2 Justification of the Research

In India, almost 20% of the total area is covered by expansive soil, now due to
rapid industrialization and huge population growth of our country, there is a scarcity
of land, to meet the human needs. And also the cost of rehabilitation and retrofitting
of the civil engineering structures founded over these soils are increasing day by day.
On the other hand, the safe disposal of fly ash from thermal power industries has been
a challenging issue demanding urgent solution because of the decline effect of these
materials on the environment and the hazardous risk it pose to the health of humanity.
However, this is a matter of fact that for every 1 kg of cement manufacturing, 1 kg of
carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, which in turn increases the carbon foot
print and also poses serious threat to global warming. Thus, there is a need to find out
alternative binder, which is environmental friendly as well as depended like cements.

Hence, this research is justifiable in the use of fly ash and lime to stabilize
Black Cotton soil.

1.3 Objectives and Scope

The major objectives of the project are as follows:

➢ To study the properties of black cotton soil made available.

➢ To check for the suitability of lime-fly ash combination as a stabilizing agent
for black cotton soil found in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
➢ To obtain the most efficient proportion of lime, fly ash and soil to be mixed
for its stabilization.

1.4 Need for Soil Stabilization

2
 Traditionally, stable sub-grades, sub-bases and/or bases have been constructed
by using selected, well-graded aggregates, making it easy to predict the load-bearing
capacity of the constructed layers. By using select material, the engineer knows that
the foundation will be able to support the design loading.

Gradation is an important soil characteristic to understand. A soil is considered

either “well-graded” or “uniformly-graded” (also referred to as “poorly-graded”). This
is a reference to the sizes of the particles in the materials.

Uniformly-graded materials are made up of individual particles of roughly the

same size. Well-graded materials are made up of an optimal range of different sized
particles. It is desirable from an engineering standpoint to build upon a foundation of
ideal and consistent density. Thus, the goal of soil stabilization is to provide a solid,
stable foundation. Density is the measure of weight by volume of a material, and is
one of the relied-upon measures of the suitability of a material for construction
purposes. Well-graded materials offer higher stability, and are in high demand for
construction.

With the increased global demand for energy and increasing local demand for
aggregates, it has become expensive from a material cost and energy use standpoint to
remove inferior soils and replace them with choice, well-graded aggregates. One way
to reduce the amount of select material needed for base construction is to improve the
existing soil enough to provide strength and conform to engineering standards. This is
where soil stabilization has become a cost-effective alternative. Essentially, soil
stabilization allows engineers to distribute a larger load with less material.

Fig 1.2 – Before and after the stabilization of Black Cotton Soil

3
1.4.1 General Applications:

1. Foundations and Structural Support

There are three basic soil conditions that pose particularity serious problems
for architects, engineers and building contractors. First is the swelling and
shrinkage movements of expansive clays; secondly, the occurrences of
settlement or densification from load bearing forces; and, thirdly, the influence
of moisture on the soil and building structure. Individually any one of these
soil behaviors would create tremendous economic damage to a building
structure.
2. New Pavements
Pavements, especially flexible pavements, are constantly under changing
conditions, thus they are inherently unstable. Water infiltration weakens the
underlying soil condition and variable loading moves those conditions
throughout the pavement structure. Asphaltic concrete pavements are
constantly under the debilitating effects of oxidation and the actions of water
stripping the asphaltic binder from the aggregate structure. The use of
chemical stabilization in roadway design speaks directly to these issues of
long-term life-cycle stability.
3. Bio-Solids Processing Pads
The processing and removal of biosolids from waste management and
composting facilities has traditionally been a major operational concern. Most
large processing centers require removal of compost or sludge by large heavy
equipment. This heavy loading creates a high fatigue factor on the native
subgrade soils, causing the processing table to become weak and unstable
under repetitive loading. Soil stabilization increases the load bearing strength,
while reducing the permeability of the native soil.
4. Environmental Remediation
Soil Stabilization/Solidification (S/S) of soils contaminated with hazardous
waste is a tried and proven chemical remediation technology. Both the
technology and its acceptance has progressed dramatically over a number of
years as a simple, cost effective and flexible treatment method for remediation
of soils and recycling them back to usable land applications.

4
 5. Site Winterization
Construction sites are susceptible to rain delays that cost both time and money.
When winter hits, project managers turn to the only proven method for site
winterization, the process of chemically treating the surface soils to provide a
high-strength and low- permeable cementitious barrier.
6. Water Resources
The use of chemical stabilization in Water Resource projects has increased
considerably. Factors that must be considered for chemical soil stabilization
include cost of stabilizer, degree of suitable soil, special processing
requirements, haul distance, dimensions and configuration of the slope
protection and mixing and placement methods. For riprap, considerations
include cost and availability of rock, size, haul distance, special processing
requirements, configuration of placement and placement effort.

1.4.2 Advantages

Some of the many advantages that soil stabilization has are listed below:

➢ Stabilized soil functions as a working platform for the project

➢ Stabilization waterproofs the soil
➢ Stabilization improves soil strength
➢ Stabilization helps reduce soil volume change due to temperature or moisture
➢ Stabilization improves soil workability
➢ Stabilization reduces dust in work environment
➢ Stabilization upgrades marginal materials
➢ Stabilization improves durability
➢ Stabilization dries wet soils
➢ Stabilization conserves aggregate materials
➢ Stabilization reduces cost
➢ Stabilization conserves energy

1.5 Thesis Outline

The thesis of this project consists of 6 chapters and the chapters have been
organized in the following order. After a brief introduction in Chapter 1, the

5
literature review is presented in Chapter 2 and the Chapter 3 describes the
materials and methodology.

Chapter 4 describes the preliminary tests that have to be carried out on the
prepared sample. In Chapter 5, the results of various tests performed on the soil
with and without the addition of admixtures have been discussed, while in Chapter
6 conclusions drawn from various studies are presented.

Chapter - 1 Introduction

Chapter - 2 Literature
Review

Chapter - 3 Materials and

Methodology

Chapter - 4 Preliminary
Tests

Results and
Chapter - 5
Discussion

Chapter - 6 Conclusion

Fig 1.3 – Basic Outline of thesis

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Chapter-2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 General

To overcome the problem in black soil, research has been carried out in the
different parts of the world, to find out the most economical and efficient means of
using admixtures and their combinations.

The pozzolanic characteristics that a soil possesses is what determines the

amount of strength increase due to lime treatment of soil. When the pozzolanic
content is less in a soil, the improvement obtained in the strength by addition of lime
is very little. To overcome this problem pozzolanic materials should be added to the
soil. One such material that is widely used as a pozzolan is Fly ash. This is partly due
to the high percentage of silica present in it apart from being abundantly produced as
a waste material in thermal power plants. In 2017 alone, India generated nearly 180
Million Tonnes of Fly ash, the safe disposal of which demands more expenditure and
land area. Thus, researchers are in constant pursuit of solutions which permit fly ash
utility in bulk. Geotechnical engineering is one such avenue where large quantities of
fly ash can be utilized for construction of structures such as embankments, highway
and railway subgrade, foundation beds, etc.

The following section deals with the review of different works related to the
stabilization of soil by the addition of fly ash and lime. The first part is the review of
lime treatment with the second part being the review of fly ash treatment. Then the
works using a combination of fly ash and lime have been reviewed.

2.2 Stabilization using Lime

Witt (2002) mentioned (Geotechnik Seminar Weimar 2002) that Weber

(2001) investigated the effect of both curing (storage) and degree of compaction on
the loss loam stabilized using different additives. He obtained the best results under
condition of moisture atmosphere storage. At the water storage condition, the
tempering of the stabilized specimens delayed due to the changing of pH-value in the
pores water. The reactivity of lime stabilized specimens was continuing under this

7
water storage condition. He noticed that the variation of compaction degree of the
stabilized specimens affected on the behavior of the stabilized specimens and the
compaction (at the highest densities) led to brittle failure behavior.

Qubain et al. (2000) incorporated the benefits of sub-grade lime stabilization,

for the first time, into the design of a major interstate highway pavement in
Pennsylvania. The project comprised widening and complete reconstruction of 21 Km
of the Pennsylvania turnpike in somerset-county. Field explorations indicated that the
sub-grade is fairly homogeneous and consists primarily of medium to stiff clayey
soils. To safeguard against potential softening due to rain, lime modification has been
traditionally utilized as a construction expedience for highway project with clayey
sub-grade. Lime improves the strength of clay by three mechanisms: hydration,
flocculation, and cementation. The first and second mechanisms occur almost
immediately upon introducing the lime, while the third is a prolonged effect. Qubain
et al. (2000) investigated the first and second mechanisms. Laboratory tests were
performed to accurately capture the immediate benefits of lime stabilization for
design. Both treated and natural clayey samples were subjected to resilient modulus
and California bearing ratio testing. To prevent cementation, the lime-treated
specimens were not allowed to cure. Nevertheless, they showed significant increase in
strength, which, when incorporated into design, reduced the pavement thickness and
resulted in substantial savings.

Ampera & Aydogmust (2005) treated Chemnitz clayey soil (A-7-6 Group)
[according to American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
(AASHTO)] using lime (2, 4, and 6%) and cement (3, 6, and 9%). They conducted
compaction-, unconfined compressive strength-, and direct shear- tests on untreated
and treated specimens. They concluded that the strength of cement-treated soil was
generally greater than the strength of lime-treated-soil. They also reported that lime-
stabilization is (in general, more tolerant of construction delay than cement-
stabilization) more suitable for the clayey soils. The relationships determined from
direct shear tests were similar to those determined from unconfined compressive
strength tests. Thus, the results of shear strength tests showed a similar trend to that of
the unconfined compressive strength tests.

8
 Ismail (2004) studied materials and soils derived from the Feuerletten
(Keuper) and Amaltheenton (Jura) formations along the new Nuernberg-Ingolstadt
railway line (Germany). His work included petrological, mineralogical studies and
scanning electron microscopanalysis. Ismail (2004) treated and stabilized these
materials related to road construction using lime (10%), cement (10%), and
lime/cement (2.5%/7.5%). He determined consistency limits, compaction properties,
and shear- and uniaxial-strength. Ismail (2004) concluded that by increasing the
optimum moisture content (%) of the treated-materials (soils mixtures), the maximum
dry density (g/cm3 ) decreased. The cohesion and the friction angle of the improved
materials increased for all the treated mixtures. In case of the lime-treated materials,
the cohesion decreased by curing time. For Feuerletten materials, uniaxial strength
increased strongly using lime and cement together. For Amaltheenton, uniaxial
strength increased strongly with cement alone. He also noticed that the loss of weight
during freezing and thawing test was low and depended on the material type.

2.3 Stabilization using Fly-ash

Acosta et al. (2002) estimate the self-cementing fly ashes as a sub-grade

stabilizer for Wisconsin soils. A laboratory-testing program was conducted to
evaluate the mechanical properties of fly ash alone, and also to evaluate how different
fly ashes can improve the engineering properties of a range of soft sub-grade soil from
different parts of Wisconsin. Seven soils and four fly ashes were considered for the
study. Soil samples were prepared with different fly ash contents (i.e., 0, 10, 18, and
30%), and compacted at different soil water contents (optimum water content, 7% wet
of optimum water content “approximate natural water content of the soil”, and a very
wet conditions “9 to 18% wet of optimum water content”). Three types of tests were
performed: California bearing ratio test, resilient modulus test, and unconfined
compressive strength test. The soils selected represented poor sub-grade conditions
with CBR ranging between 0 and 5 in their natural condition. A substantial increase in
the CBR was achieved when soils were mixed with fly ash. Specimens prepared with
18% fly ash content and compacted at the optimum water content show the best
improvement, with CBR ranging from 20 to 56. Specimens prepared with 18% fly ash
and compacted at 7% wet of optimum water content showed significant improvement
compared to the untreated soils, with CBR ranging from 15 to 31 (approximately an
average CBR gain of 8 times). On the other hand, less improvement was noticed when

9
the specimens were prepared with 18% fly ash and compacted in very wet condition
(CBR ranging from 8 to 15). Soil-fly ash mixtures prepared with 18% fly ash content
and compacted at 7% wet of optimum water content had similar or higher modulus
than untreated specimens compacted at optimum water content. Resilient modulus of
specimens compacted in significantly wet conditions, in general, had lower module
compared to the specimen compacted at optimum water content. The resilient
modulus increased with increasing the curing time. The resilient modulus of
specimens prepared at 18% fly ash content and compacted at 7% wet of optimum
water content was 10 to 40% higher after 28 days of curing, relative to that at 14 days
of curing. Unconfined compressive strength of the soil-fly ash mixtures increased
with increasing fly ash content. Soil-fly ash specimens prepared with 10 and 18% fly
ash content and compacted 7% wet of optimum water content had unconfined
compressive strength that were 3 and 4 times higher than the original untreated soil
specimen compacted at 7% wet of optimum water content. CBR and resilient modulus
data was used for a flexible pavement design. Data developed from stabilized soils
showed that a reduction of approximately 40% in the base thickness could be
achieved when 18% fly ash is used to stabilize a soft sub-grade.

Edil et al. (2002) conducted a field evaluation of several alternatives for

construction over soft sub-grade soils. The field evaluation was performed along a 1.4
Km segment of Wisconsin state highway 60 and consisted of several test sections. By
products such as fly ash, bottom ash, foundry slag, and foundry sand were used. A
class C fly ash was used for one test section. Unconfined compression testing showed
that 10% fly ash (on the basis of dry weight) was sufficient to provide the strength
necessary for the construction on the sub-grade. Data were obtained before and after
fly ash placement by testing undisturbed samples in the laboratory and by using a soil
stiffness gauge (SSG) and a dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) in the field.
Unconfined compressive strength, soil stiffness, and dynamic cone penetration of the
native soil before fly ash placement ranged between 100 - 150 KPa, 4 - 8 MN/m², and
30 - 90 mm/blow, respectively. After fly ash addition, the unconfined compressive
strength reached as high as 540 KPa, the stiffness ranged from 10 to 18 MN/m2 , and
the Dynamic Penetration Index (DPI) was less variable and ranged between 10 and 20
mm/blow. CBR of 32% was reported for the stabilized sub-grade, which is rated as

10
“good” for sub-base highway construction. CBR of the untreated sub-grade was 3%,
which is rated as “very poor” according to Bowles, 1992.

Thomas & White (2003) used self-cementing fly ashes (from eight different
fly ash sources) to treat and stabilize five different soil types (ranging from ML to
CH) in Iowa for road construction applications. They investigated various
geotechnical properties (under different curing-conditions) such as compaction, qu-
value, wet/dry and freeze/thaw durability, curing time effect, and others. They
reported that Iowa self-cementing fly ashes can be an effective means of stabilizing
Iowa soil. Unconfined compressive strength, strength gain, and CBR-value of
stabilized soils increased especially with curing time. Soil-fly ash mixtures cured
under freezing condition and soaked in water slaked and were unable to be tested for
strength. They also noticed that stabilized paleosol exhibited an increase in the
freeze/thaw durability when tested according to ASTM C593, but stabilized Turin
loess failed in the test.

2.4 Fly-ash + Lime Treatment for Stabilization

Zhang & Cao (2002) conducted an experimental program to study the

individual and admixed effects of lime and fly ash on the geotechnical characteristics
of expansive soil. Lime and fly ash were added to the expansive soil at 4 - 6% and 40
- 50% by dry weight of soil, respectively. Testing specimens were determined and
examined in chemical composition, grain size distribution, consistency limits,
compaction, CBR, free swell and swell capacity. The effect of lime and fly ash
addition on a reduction of the swelling potential of an expansive soil texture was
reported. It was revealed that a change of expansive soil texture takes place when lime
and fly ash are mixed with expansive soil. Plastic limit increases by mixing lime and
liquid limit decreases by mixing fly ash, and this decreased plasticity index. As the
amount of lime and fly ash is increased, there is an apparent reduction of maximum
dry density, free swell, and of swelling capacity under 50 KPa pressure and a
corresponding increase in the percentage of coarse particles, optimum moisture
content, and in the CBR value. They concluded that the expansive soil can be
successfully stabilized by lime and fly ash.

Beeghly (2003) evaluated the use of lime together with fly ash in stabilization
of soil subgrade (silty and clayey soils) and granular aggregate base course beneath

11
the flexible asphalt layer or rigid concrete layer. He reported that lime alone works
well to stabilize clay soils but a combination of lime and fly ash is beneficial for lower
plasticity (higher silt content) soils. He noticed that both unconfined compressive
strength- and CBR-values of treated stabilized soils (moderate plasticity “PI < 20”
and high silt content “i.e. > 50%”) with lime and fly ash together are higher than the
values with lime alone. Beeghly (2003) also concluded that the capillary soak of the
stabilized specimens led to a loss of unconfined compressive strength (15 - 25%).
Finally, lime/fly ash admixtures resulted in cost savings by increment material cost by
up to 50% as compared to Portland cement stabilization.

Nalbantoglu & Gucbilmez (2002) studied the utilization of an industrial waste

in calcareous expansive clay stabilization, where the calcareous expansive soil in
Cyprus had caused serious damage to structures. High-quality Soma fly ash admixture
has been shown to have a tremendous potential as an economical method for the
stabilization of the soil. Fly ash and lime-fly ash admixtures reduce the water
absorption capacity and the compressibility of the treated soils. Unlike some of the
previously published research, an increase in hydraulic conductivity of the treated
soils was obtained with an increase in percent fly ash and curing time. X-ray
diffractograms indicate that pozzolanic reactions cause an alteration in the mineralogy
of the treated soils, and new mineral formations with more stable silt-sand-like
structures are produced. The study showed that, by using cation exchange capacity
(CEC) values, with increasing percentage of fly ash and curing time, soils become
more granular in nature and show higher hydraulic conductivity values.

Parson & Milburn (2003) conducted a series of tests to evaluate the

stabilization process of seven different soils (CH, CH, CH, CL, CL, ML, and SM)
using lime, cement, class C fly ash, and an enzymatic stabilizer. They determined
Atterberg limits and unconfined compressive strengths of the stabilized soils before
and after carrying out of durability tests (freeze/thaw, wet/dry, and leach testing).
They reported that lime- and cement-stabilized soils showed better improvement
compared to fly ash-treated soils. In addition, the enzymatic stabilizer did not strongly
improve the soils compared to the other stabilizing agents (cement, lime, and fly ash).

12
Chapter-3

MATERIALS & METHODOLOGY

3.1 Materials

This chapter discusses the black cotton soil which is under investigation and
the properties of the admixtures which have been used, that is Fly-Ash and Lime.

3.1.1 Black Cotton Soil

Black cotton soils are inorganic clays of medium to high compressibility and
form a major soil group in India. They are characterized by high shrinkage and
swelling properties. Because of its high swelling and shrinkage characteristics, the
Black cotton soil has been a challenge to the highway engineers. The Black cotton
soil is very hard when dry, but loses its strength completely when in wet condition. It
is observed that on drying, the black cotton soil develops cracks of varying depth.

Fig-3.1 Map showing distribution of major soils in India

13
 The soil used in this study is an expansive clay, that is black cotton soil which
was collected from the Vijay Nagar region in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The physical
properties of the soil are presented in Table-3.1.

Specific Gravity 2.69

Grain Size Distribution
Sand (%) 22
Silt (%) 3.8
Clay (%) 74.2
Maximum Dry Density (Mg/cum) 1.65

O.M.C. (%) 26.5

Liquid Limit (%) 71
Plastic Limit (%) 27
Plasticity Index (%) 46
IS Classification CH
Table-3.1 Physical properties of soil

3.1.2 Fly-Ash

Fly ash used in this study belongs to F class category, which was collected
from NTPC, Dadri (Gautam Budhnagar) thermal power plant. Physical and chemical
properties of class F fly ash used in this investigation have been listed in table 3.2 and
table 3.3. There is a pressing need for the recycling of fly ash. In 2017 alone, India
generated nearly 180 Million Tonnes of fly ash which need to be utilized quickly as it
can turn out to dangerous for both the environment as well as mankind.

When geotechnical Engineers are faced with problematic soils (such as clayey
or expansive soils), the engineering properties of those soils may need to be improved
to make them suitable for construction. Waste materials such as fly ash or pozzolanic
materials [pozolanic materials “pozzolans” are a source of silica and alumina with
high surface area (Choquette el al., 1987)] have been used for soil improvement.
Recent investigations reported that fly ash is a potential material to be utilized for soil
improvement (Muntohar & Hantoro, 2000).

Formation of cementitious material by the reaction of lime with the pozzolans

(Al2O3, SiO2, and Fe2O3) in the presence of water is known as hydration of fly ash.

14
The hydrated calcium silicate (gel) or calcium aluminate (fibrous), as cementitious
material, can join inert materials together.

PROPERTIES FLY-ASH

Specific Gravity 2.05

Liquid Limit (%) 44

Maximum Dry Density 1.12

OMC (%) 35
Table-3.2 Physical properties of Fly ash

CONSTITUENT PERCENTAGE
Silica 59.48
Alumina 27.12
Iron Oxide 7.34
Calcium Oxide 2.32
Magnesium Oxide 0.56

Sulphur Tri Oxide 0.94

Table-3.3 Chemical Properties of Fly ash

3.1.3 Lime

Lime can be used either to modify some of the physical properties and thereby
improve the quality of soil or to transform the soil into a stabilized mass, which
increases its strength and durability. The amount of lime additive will depend upon
either the soil to be modified or stabilized. Generally, lime is suitable for clay soils
with PI ≥ 20% and > 35% passing the No.200 sieve (0.074 mm). Lime stabilization is
applied in road construction to improve subbase and sub-grades, for railroads and
airports construction, for embankments, for soil exchange in unstable slopes, for
backfill, for bridge abutments and retaining walls, for canal linings, for improvement
of soil beneath foundation slabs, and for lime piles (Anon, 1985 & 1990). Lime
stabilization includes the use of burned lime products, quicklime and hydrated lime
(oxides and hydroxides, respectively), or lime by-products (codel) (TTN, 1998).

15
 The improvement of the geotechnical properties of the soil and the chemical
stabilization process using lime take place through two basic chemical reactions as
follow:

1. Short-term reactions including cation exchange and flocculation, where lime is

a strong alkaline base which reacts chemically with clays causing a base
exchange. Calcium ions (divalent) displace sodium, potassium, and hydrogen
(monovalent) cations and change the electrical charge density around the clay
particles. This results in an increase in the interparticle attraction causing
flocculation and aggregation with a subsequent decrease in the plasticity of the
soils.
2. Long-term reaction including pozzolanic reaction, where calcium from the
lime reacts with the soluble alumina and silica from the clay in the presence of
water to produce stable calcium silicate hydrates (CSH), calcium aluminate
hydrates (CAH), and calcium aluminosilicate hydrates (CASH) which
generate long-term strength gain and improve the geotechnical properties of
the soil.

In the present study, Hydrated lime was used. It is produced by reacting quicklime
(CaO) with sufficient water to form a white powder. This process is referred to as
slaking.

High calcium quicklime + water Hydrated lime + Heat

CaO + H2O Ca(OH)2 + Heat

CHEMICAL HYDRATED
ELEMENTS LIME (%)
SiO2 0.503
Al2O3 0.279
Fe2O3 0.225
CaO 73.4
MgO 0.556
Na2O 0.0321
K2O 0.0737
MnO 0.0359
TiO2 0.0185
P2O5 0.0288
SO3 0.191
The chemical composition of hydrated lime has been illustrated in Table 3.4.

16
3.2 Factors affecting Stability

The stability of lime, fly ash and soil mixtures is affected by many variables.
But, there are certain variables which can drastically affect the stability of the
mixtures and ultimately the outcome of the investigation. The variables given in
figure 3.2 are considered most important.

Fig-3.2 Factors affecting stability of fly ash + lime + soil mixture

3.3 Methodology

After going through several other research works carried out in the field of soil
stabilization, the following methodology in the order testing was adopted.

Fig-3.3 Test methodology

Three series of experiments have been carried out under the present
investigation, to study the physio-chemical and engineering behavior black cotton soil
mixed with fly ash and then treated with lime. The details of the mentioned test series
are presented in Table 3.5.

In each of the three test series, fly ash was added with black cotton soil at
different percentages (20%, 30%,40%). All these three soil samples were added with
different percentages of lime (6%, 12 %, 18%). Each of the samples were thus
prepared and mixed.

17
 Test Admixtures with 100% Curing Period Test Detail
Series Black Cotton Soil (days)

1 6%L + 20%FA Nil Plasticity index,

12%L + 30%FA Liquid limit,

18%L + 40%FA Plasticity

2 6%L + 20%FA Nil Compaction

12%L + 20%FA

18%L + 20%FA

3 6%L + 30%FA 7, 14, 21 Unconfined

12%L + 50%FA compressive

18%L + 70%FA strength

Table-3.5 Test planning and sample preparation

18
Chapter-4

PRELIMINARY TESTS

4.1 General

The various tests to be conducted on the soil sample are listed below:

➢ Particle Size Analysis

➢ Specific Gravity Test
➢ Atterberg’s Limits
➢ Compaction Test
➢ California Bearing Ratio Test
➢ Unconfined Compression Test

The above listed tests are first conducted on untreated Black Cotton Soil to determine
its geotechnical properties. Then UCS test is carried out to evaluate its strength.
Thereafter, certain percentages of Lime and Fly-Ash were added to the soil sample to
stabilize it. The percentages of the mentioned additives which produce the optimum
strength in the soil are chosen by conducting UCS test on them.

The soil was collected from the region Vijay Nagar in Jabalpur, Madhya
Pradesh. It is brought to the lab and is dried in oven for 24 hours in large pans. This
soil due to loss of water formed big lumps which is then broken to smaller pieces or
even fine powder and is sieved according to the needs of different experiments.

4.2 Particle Size Analysis

THEORY: Soil gradation (sieve analysis) is the distribution of particle sizes

expressed as a percent of the total dry weight. Gradation is determined by passing the
material through a series of sieves stacked with progressively smaller openings from
top to bottom and weighing the material retained on each sieve.

NEED & SCOPE: The results of testing will reflect the condition and characteristics
of the aggregate from which the sample is obtained. Therefore, when sampling, it is
important to obtain a disturbed representative sample that is representative of the

19
source being tested because the distribution of different grain sizes affects the
engineering properties of soil.

APPARATUS REQUIRED: A series of sieve sets ranging from 4.75mm to 75μm

(4.75mm, 2.00mm, 1.00mm, 425μm, 212μm, 150μm, 75μm) and Balance sensitive to
± 0.01g.

PROCEDURE:

1.Take 500gm of the soil sample after taking representative sample by quartering.

2. Conduct sieve analysis using a set of standard sieves as given in the data sheet.

3. The sieving may be done either by hand or by mechanical sieve shaker for 10
minutes.

4. Weigh the material retained on each sieve.

5. The percentage retained on each sieve is calculated on the basis of the total weight
of the soil sample taken.

6. From these results the percentage passing through each of the sieves is calculated.

7. Draw the grain size curve for the soil in the semi-logarithmic graph provided.

Fig-4.1 Apparatus for particle size analysis

20
4.3 Specific Gravity Test

SCOPE: This test is performed to determine the specific gravity of soil by using a
pycnometer. Specific gravity is the ratio of the mass of unit volume of soil at a stated
temperature to the mass of the same volume of gas-free distilled water at a stated
temperature.

APPARATUS: Pycnometer, Balance, Vacuum pump, Funnel, Spoon.

PROCEDURE:

1. Determine and record the weight of the empty clean and dry pycnometer, WP.
2. Place 125g of a dry soil sample (passed through the sieve No. 10) in the
pycnometer. Determine and record the weight of the pycnometer containing
the dry soil, WPS.
3. Add distilled water to fill about half to three-fourth of the pycnometer. Soak
the sample for 10 minutes.
4. Apply a partial vacuum to the contents for 10 minutes longer, to remove the
entrapped air.
5. Stop the vacuum and carefully remove the vacuum line from pycnometer.
6. Fill the pycnometer with distilled (water to the mark), clean the exterior
surface of the pycnometer with a clean, dry cloth. Determine the weight of the
pycnometer and contents, WB.
7. Empty the pycnometer and clean it. Then fill it with distilled water only (to the
mark). Clean the exterior surface of the pycnometer with a clean, dry cloth.
Determine the weight of the pycnometer and distilled water, WA.
8. Empty the pycnometer and clean it.

Fig-4.2 Apparatus for determining the specific gravity

21
4.4 Atterberg’s Limits

4.4.1 Liquid Limit Test

PURPOSE: This test is performed to determine the plastic and liquid limits of a fine-
grained soil. The liquid limit (LL) is arbitrarily defined as the water content, in
percent, at which a part of soil in a standard cup and cut by a groove of standard
dimensions will flow together at the base of the groove for a distance of 13 mm
(1/2in.) when subjected to 25 shocks from the cup being dropped 10 mm in a standard
liquid limit apparatus operated at a rate of two shocks per second.

EQUIPMENT: Liquid limit device, Porcelain (evaporating) dish, Flat grooving tool
with gage, 8 moisture cans, Balance, Spatula, Wash bottle filled with distilled water,
Drying oven set at 105°C.

PROCEDURE:

1. Adjust the drop of the cup of the liquid limit device by releasing the two screws at
the top and by using the handle of the grooving tool or a gauge. The drop should be
exactly 1 cm at the point of contact on the base. Tighten the screw after adjustment.

2. Take about 120g of the air-dried soil sample passing 425 micron IS sieve.

3. Mix the sample thoroughly with distilled water in an evaporating dish or a glass
plate to form a uniform paste. Mixing should be continued for about 15 to 30 min, till
a uniform mix is obtained.

4. Keep the mix under humid conditions for obtaining uniform moisture distribution
for sufficient period. For some fat clays. This maturing time may be upto 24 hours.

5. Take a portion of the matured paste and remix it thoroughly. Place it in the cup of
the device by a spatula and level it by a spatula or a straight edge to have a minimum
depth of the soil as 1cm at the point of the maximum thickness. The excess soil, if any
should be transferred to the evaporating dish.

6. Cut a groove in the sample in the cup by using the appropriate tool. Draw the
grooving tool through the paste in the cup along the symmetrical axis, along the
diameter through the centre line of the cup. Hold the tool perpendicular to the cup.

22
7. Turn the handle of the device at a rate of 2 revolutions per second. Count the
number of blows until the two halves of the soil specimen come in contact at the
bottom of the groove along a distance of 12mm due to flow and not by sliding.

8. Collect a representative sample of the soil by moving spatula width-wise from one
edge to the other edge of the soil cake at right angles to the groove. This should
include the portion of the groove in which the soil flowed to close the groove.

9. Remove the remaining soil from the cup. Mix it with the soil left in evaporating
dish.

10. Change the water content of the mix in the evaporating dish either by adding more
water if the water content is to be increased or by kneading the soil, if the water
content is to be decreased. In no case the dry soil should be added to reduce the water
content.

11. Repeat the steps 4 to 10 and determine the number of blows (N) and the water
content in each case.

12. Draw the flow curve between log N and w, and determine the liquid limit
corresponding to N=25.

Fig-4.3 Cassagrande apparatus

4.4.2 Plastic Limit Test

PURPOSE: Soil is used for making bricks, tiles, soil cement blocks in addition to its
use as foundation for structures.

APPARATUS: Porcelain dish, Squeeze Bottle and Spatula, Balance of capacity

200gm and sensitive to 0.01gm, Ground glass plate for rolling the specimen,
23
Containers to determine the moisture content, Oven thermostatically controlled with
interior of non-corroding material to maintain the temperature around 1050 and 1100C.

PROCEDURE:

1. Put 20 gm of air-dried soil, passed thorough 425 mm sieve (In accordance

with I.S. 2720: part-1), into an evaporating dish. Add distilled water into the
soil and mix it thoroughly to form uniform paste (the soil paste should be
plastic enough to be easily molded with fingers.)
2. Prepare several ellipsoidal shaped soil masses by squeezing the soil between
your fingures. Take one of the soil masses and roll it on the glass plate using
your figures. The pressure of rolling should be just enough to make thread of
uniform diameter throughout its length. The rate of rolling shall be between 60
to 90 strokes per min.
3. Continue rolling until you get the thread diameter of 3 mm.
4. If the thread does not crumble at a diameter of 3 mm, kneed the soil together
to a uniform mass and re-roll.
5. Continue the process until the thread crumbles when the diameter is 3 mm.
6. Collect the pieces of the crumbled thread for moisture content determination.
7. Repeat the test to at least 3 times and take the average of the results calculated
to the nearest whole number.

Fig-4.4 Performing Plastic limit test on Black cotton soil

4.5 Standard Proctor Compaction Test

PURPOSE: This laboratory test is performed to determine the relationship between

the moisture content and the dry density of a soil for a specified compactive effort.
The compactive effort is the amount of mechanical energy that is applied to the soil
mass. Several different methods are used to compact soil in the field, and some

24
examples include tamping, kneading, vibration, and static load compaction. The test is
also known as the Proctor test.

APPARATUS: Molds, Manual rammer, Extruder, Balance, Drying oven, Mixing pan,
Trowel, #4 sieve, Moisture cans, Graduated cylinder, Straight Edge.

PROCEDURE:

1. Depending on the type of mold you are using obtain a sufficient quantity of
air-dried soil in large mixing pan. For the 4-inch mold take approximately 10
lbs, and for the 6-inch mold take roughly 10 lbs. Pulverize the soil and run it
through the # 4 sieve.
2. Determine the weight of the soil sample as well as the weight of the
compaction mold with its base (without the collar) by using the balance and
record the weights.
3. Measure out the water, add it to the soil, and then mix it thoroughly into the
soil using the trowel until the soil gets a uniform color.
4. The soil should completely fill the cylinder and the last compacted layer must
extend slightly above the collar joint. If the soil is below the collar joint at the
completion of the drops, the test point must be repeated.
5. Carefully remove the collar and trim off the compacted soil so that it is
completely even with the top of the mold using the trowel. Replace small bits
of soil that may fall out during the trimming process.
6. Weigh the compacted soil while it’s in the mold and to the base, and record
the mass. Determine the wet mass of the soil by subtracting the weight of the
mold and base.
7. Remove the soil from the mold using a mechanical extruder and take soil
moisture content samples from the top and bottom of the specimen. Fill the
moisture cans with soil and determine the water content.
8. Place the soil specimen in the large tray and break up the soil until it appears
visually as if it will pass through the # 4 sieve, add 2 percent more water based
on the original sample mass, and re-mix as in step 4. Repeat steps 5 through 9
until, based on wet mass, a peak value is reached followed by two slightly
lesser compacted soil masses.

25
 Fig-4.5 Standard Proctor Apparatus

4.6 California Bearing Ratio Test

NEED & SCOPE: The California bearing ratio test is penetration test meant for the
evaluation of subgrade strength of roads and pavements. The results obtained by these
tests are used with the empirical curves to determine the thickness of pavement and its
component layers. This is the most widely used method for the design of flexible
pavement.

APPARATUS: Loading machine-any compression machine can operate at constant

rate of 1.25mm per minute can be used. Cylindrical moulds- moulds of 150mm
diameter and 175mm height provided with a collar of about 50mm length and
detachable perforated base.

Compaction rammer, surcharge weight-annular weights each of 2.5kg and 147mm

diameter. IS sieve 20mm, Coarse filter paper, balance etc.

PROCEDURE:

1. Sieve the sample through 20mm IS sieve. Take 5 kg of the sample of soil
specimen. Add water to the soil in the quantity such that optimum moisture
content or field moisture content is reached.

2. Then soil and water are mixed thoroughly. Spacer disc is placed over the base
plate at the bottom of mould and a coarse filter paper is placed over the spacer
disc.

26
3. The prepared soil water mix is divided into five. The mould is cleaned and oil
is applied. Then fill one fifth of the mould with the prepared soil. That layer is
compacted by giving 56 evenly distributed blows using a hammer of weight
4.89kg.

4. The top layer of the compacted soil is scratched. Again second layer is filled
and process is repeated. After 3rd layer, collar is also attached to the mould and
process is continued.
5. After fifth layer collar is removed and excess soil is struck off. Remove base
plate and invert the mould. Then it is clamped to baseplate.

6. Surcharge weights of 2.5kg is placed on top surface of soil. Mould containing

specimen is placed in position on the testing machine.

7. The penetration plunger is brought in contact with the soil and a load of
4kg(seating load) is applied so that contact between soil and plunger is
established. Then dial readings are adjusted to zero.

8. Load is applied such that penetration rate is 1.25mm per minute. Load at
penetration of 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5mm are noted.

Penetration (mm) Standard Load (kg) Unit Standard Load

(kg/cm^2)
2.5 1370 70

5 2055 105

7.5 2630 134

10.0 3180 162

12.5 3600 183

Table-4.1 Standard Load values of CBR test

27
 Fig-4.6 Apparatus for CBR Test

4.7 Unconfined Compression Test

NEED & SCOPE: It is not always possible to conduct the bearing capacity test in the
field. Sometimes it is cheaper to take the undisturbed soil sample and test its strength
in the laboratory. Also, to choose the best material for the embankment, one has to
conduct strength tests on the samples selected. Under these conditions it is easy to
perform the unconfined compression test on undisturbed and remolded soil sample.
Now we will investigate experimentally the strength of a given soil sample.

EQUIPMENT:

1. Unconfined compression apparatus, proving ring type

2. Proving ring, capacity 1 kN, accuracy 1N.

3. Dial gauge, accuracy 0.01 mm.

4. Weighing balance

5. Oven

6. Stop watch

28
 7. Sampling tube

8. Split mould, 38mm diameter, 76mm long.

9. Sample extractor

10. Knife.

11. Vernier calipers

12. Large mould.

PROCEDURE:

1. Place the sampling soil specimen at the desired water content and density in
the large mould.

2. Push the sampling tube into the large mould and remove the sampling tube
filled with the soil. For undisturbed samples, push the sampling tube into the
clay sample.

3. Saturate the soil sample in the sampling tube by a suitable method.

4. Coat the split mould lightly with a thin layer of grease. Weigh the mould.

5. Extrude the sample out of the sampling tube into the split mould, using the
sample extractor and the knife.

6. Trim the two ends of the specimen in the split mould. Weigh the mould with
the specimen.

7. Remove the specimen from the split mould by splitting the mould into two
parts.

8. Measure the length and diameter of the specimen with vernier calipers.

9. Place the specimen on the bottom plate of the compression machine. Adjust
the upper plate to make contact with the specimen.

10. Adjust the dial gauge and the proving ring gauge to zero.

11. Apply the compression load to cause an axial strain at the rate of ½ to 2% per
minute.

29
12. Record the dial gauge reading, and the proving ring reading every thirty
seconds up to a strain of 6%. The reading may be taken after every 60 seconds
for a strain between 6%, 12% and every 2minutes or so beyond 12%.

13. Continue the test until failure surfaces have clearly developed or until an axial
strain of 20% is reached.

14. Measure the angle between the failure surface and the horizontal, if possible.

15. Take the sample from the failure zone of the specimen for the water content
determination.

Fig-4.7 Mohr’s circle for Unconfined Compression Test

Fig-4.8 Conducting UCS test on uniform compression machine

30
Chapter-5

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

5.1 Standard Proctor Test

The fly ash was obtained from NTPC Thermal Power Plant, Dadri with the
MDD = 1.311 g/cc and OMC = 29.10%.

A commercial grade lime has been used which mainly consists of 58.65%CaO
and 7.2% Silica. The MDD = 1.18 g/cc and OMD of 30.57%.

Table-5.1 MDD values for various % of Fly-ash and Lime

Using the above values obtained, we plot the MDD values for different % of
Lime and Fly-ash,

31
 Fig-5.1 MDD Values for different % of lime and fly ash

The OMC values of various % of lime and fly-ash are plotted from the results of
Standard Proctor Test,

Table-5.2 OMC values of various % of fly ash and lime

32
Using the above values a graph for the different values of lime and fly ash is plotted,

Fig-5.2 OMC values for varying % of lime and fly ash

5.2 Sieve Analysis

Soil having particles larger than 0.075mm size is termed as course

grained soils. In these soils more than 50% of the total material by mass
is larger than75 micron. Coarse grained soil may have boulder, cobble,
gravel, and sand. Results of Sieve Analysis are shown in Table 5.3

Table-5.3 Sieve Analysis

33
5.3 Specific Gravity

The Specific Gravity of Soil can be determined in Laboratory using

Pycnometer. Specific Gravity is the ratio of the mass/weight in air of a given volume
of dry soil solids to the mass/weight of equal volume of water.

G = W2-W1/ (W2-W10)-(W3-W4)

Where,

W1 = Empty weight of Bottle

W2 = Empty weight of Bottle + Soil

W3 = Empty weight of Bottle + Soil + Water

W4 = Empty weight of Bottle + Water

Table-5.3 Sieve Analysis

5.4 Atterberg’s Limits

The Liquid and Plastic Limits (Atterberg Limits) of soil indicate the water
contents at which certain changes in the physical behavior of soil can be observed.
From Atterberg limits, it is possible to estimate the engineering properties of fine-
grained soils. The plastic limit is the moisture content that defines where the soil
changes from a semi-solid to a plastic or flexible state. The liquid limit is the moisture
content that defines where the soil changes from a plastic to a viscous fluid state.

34
 Table-5.4 Atterberg’s Limits

5.5 Unconfined Compression Test

It is not always possible to conduct the bearing capacity test in the field. Some
times it is cheaper to take the undisturbed soil sample and test its strength in the
laboratory. Also to choose the best material for the embankment, one has to conduct
strength tests on the samples selected. Under these conditions it is easy to perform the
unconfined compression test on undisturbed and remoulded soil sample. Now we will
investigate experimentally the strength of a given soil sample.

Table-5.5

35
 Chapter-6

CONCLUSION & FUTURE SCOPE

6.1 Conclusion

• Lime and fly ash are effective and efficient stabilizer. The strength of black
cotton soil can be increased by using fly ash and lime combination.

• Through our research, we have come to know the optimum proportion of lime
and fly ash for the locally available BC soil in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. The
optimum proportion is 12% lime and 30% fly ash.

• Through the differential swell reading, we come to know that for the
optimum proportion the swelling is considerably reduced. Thus, fly ash and
lime can effective in both increasing strength as well as reducing swelling of
BC soil.

6.2 Future Scope

• In the project, we have calculated the optimum proportion of lime and fly ash
for black cotton soil available in Madhya Pradesh. However, there is need to
generalize the use of lime + fly ash combination on black cotton soils. The use
of fly ash and lime can be generalized for all black cotton soils if the clay
percentage for different lime + fly ash combinations can be found out. By
knowing the effect of different combinations on clay percentage of soil, we
can find out the optimum proportion for any black cotton soil with particular
clay percentage.

36
REFERENCES

Books:

• Behaviour of saturated expansive soil and control methods vol 1. - Prof. Katti

• Soil Mechanics and Foundation engineering – Dr. K.S.Arora

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construction of rural roads- need of hour”, Indian highways, Nov 2010

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expansive soils using fly ash”, fly ash utilization program, TIFAC, DST, new
Delhi

• Erdal Cocka (2001) “ Use of class c fly ashes for the stabilization of an
expansive soil”, Journal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering,
vol. 127, July, pp. 568-573

• Pandian, n.s.,krishna, k.c. leelavathamma b., (2002), effect of fly ash on the
cbr behavior of Soils , Indian geotechnical conference , Allahabad ,
vol.1,pp.183-186

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properties of expansive Soil” journal of geotechnical and geoenvironmental
engineering vol. 130, no 7,july, pp. 764-767

• Niroj MIshra, Sudhira Rath, Siddharth Sankar biswat, Girija Sankar Pujhari,”
Use of fly ash and other stabilizing agents for construction of cost effective
roads in sambhalpur district in Orissa, Indian Highways, July 2010.

• A. Shrirama rao and G. Shridevi , “ Improving the performance of expansive

soil subgrades with lime – stabilized fly ash cushion, Indian highways , oct
2010

• A.N. Ramakrishna and A.V. Pradeepkumar, “Effect of moisture content on

strength behavior of BC soil- Rice husk ash- lime mixes, Indian Highways, jan
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• N. K. Ameta, d.g. m. Purohit, a. S. Wayal .”Characteristics, problems and

remedies of expansive soils of rajasthan”, india

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37
• Hesham ahmed hussin ismaiel “treatment and improvement of the
geotechnical properties of different soft fine-grained soils using chemical
stabilization”

• F.G. Butler, M.H. Decter, G.R. Smith, Studies on the desiccation and
carbonation of systems containing Portland cement arid fly ash, in Proceedings
of 1st International Conference on the Use of Fly Ash, Silica Fume, Slag, and
Other Mineral By-products in Concrete, Montebello, PQ, July 31–Aug. 5,
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