Studies on lithomargic clay stabilized using granulated blast furnace slag and cement
Date
2017
Authors
Sekhar, Darshan. C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal
Abstract
Southwestern coast of India has vast deposits of problematic silty soil (locally called
shedi soil) normally referred as lithomargic clay in the literature. This problematic
silty soil is characterized by its high sensitivity to moisture content with high erosion
potential and low shear strength, especially in wet conditions or when it absorbs
sufficient moisture. In order to overcome these problems, an industrial by-product
obtained from the iron industry i.e. granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS) has been
used to improve the strength properties of the lithomargic clay. To achieve the study
objectives, lithomargic clay was replaced with the GBFS in different proportions.
From the experimental results, it was observed that lithomargic clay when replaced
with 25% GBFS produced good improvement in UCC strength and shear strength.
The study includes an investigation on a combination of lithomargic clay replaced by
optimum percentage of GBFS with addition of varying percentage of cement on their
shear strength parameters. The improvement in strength was justified by conducting
microstructural analysis using SEM and XRD. The experimental results are used in
numerical analysis i.e., in PLAXIS 2D for load-settlement analysis of a strip footing
and for a typical embankment slope stability problem. In addition, studies were
carried out to check the effectiveness of GBFS and cement in the production of
compressed stabilized earth blocks (CSEB). From the current study, it is concluded
that lithomargic clay stabilized with GBFS and cement can be effectively used in
geotechnical applications, thereby increasing the rate of effective disposal of GBFS.
Description
Keywords
Department of Civil Engineering, Lithomargic clay, Granulated Blast Furnace Slag, Stabilization, PLAXIS 2D, Compressed Stabilized Earth Blocks, SEM, XRD