Comparative Study of Soft Soils Characteristics with Cement Waste Dust, Lime Powder and Boiled Rice Water

Abstract

Improvement of soft soil properties and effective pavement system performance of soft soils can be done only by stabilization process. It is an effective method. Jointly or individually, Chemical and/or Mechanical stabilization is done for various soils depending on the nature of that soil. As far as soft soils are concern, they are having reactive nature and so chemical stabilization is the best choice to improve such soil. Mainly, in Saurashtra, black cotton soil and red soil are the major problems for the highway’s construction. Among the coastal strip, saline sea sand is the key weak factor to look for. Black cotton soil with full content of montmorillonite, according to mineralogical analysis, leads to severe to extreme severe cracks without warning. Deep cracks of one inch to twelve inches, in some cases, definitely damage the construction. Red soils unit ruddy in colour as a result of the presence of iron. Red soils area unit fashioned because of weathering of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rocks. Red soils are porous, friable in nature, loose and aerated, contains soluble salts in small quantities. In this paper, comparative study of three stabilizing agents (1) cement waste dust, (2) lime powder, and (3) boiled rice water is done. Cement waste dust, collected from the cement plant, found to be most effective agents for improvement of soft soils properties among three. Other two agents are also effective to improve the properties. They can be used individually when required. But as far as the comparison is there, descending order of stabilizing agents is cement waste dust, lime powder, and boiled rice water. Improvement in the soil properties varies from 10% to 30% at an edition of cement waste dust and lime powder in range 7%, 10% and 13% by weight and boiled rice water in range 10%, 20% and 30% by volume of sample of soil. This study provides satisfactory reason to use cement waste dust, lime powder and boiled rice water thereafter to get stabilized soil.