Using Fine Silica Sand and Granite Powder Waste to Control Free Swelling Behavior of High Expansive Soil

Abstract

Many researchers have been interested in studying the effect of adding local natural materials or construction waste on the properties of poor subgrade soil. However, changes in size and strength of expansive soils can cause extensive damage to the geotechnical infrastructure. This damage is often repeatable and latent in the long term, and is a critical issue in highway subgrade engineering. This paper examines the effect of adding both Fine Silica Sand (FSS) and Granite Cutting Powder Waste (GPW) materials on the welling characteristics of expansive soils. Atterberg limits, free swell index, and rate of swell of the mixtures were used as a key to assess properties of a group of expansive soil samples after adding different percentages of the mentioned materials. The rates of additions were 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60 and 70% of the weight of the soil samples. The test results showed that FSS and GPW significantly affect the expansive soil properties. However, adding 70% of both FSS and GPW reduced the swelling index from 58.3% to 6.6% and from 58.3% to 11% after 7 days of curing, respectively. This study suggests that the Fine Silica Sand and Granite Powder Waste can be used as stabilizers for expansive highly plastic soils.