Stabilization of Expansive Clay Soils Using Potassium Chloride

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Date

2015-11

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

Expansive soils, such as black cotton soils, are basically susceptible to detrimental volumetric changes, with change in moisture. The cyclic wetting and drying process causes vertical movements in expansive soils and movementslead to failure of structures. These soils also have very low load bearing capacity when wet. This behavior of soil is attributed to the presence of mineral montimirrilonite, which has an expanding lattice. Understanding the behavior of expansive soil and adopting the appropriate control measures have been great tasksfor the geotechnical engineers. Extensive research has been going on to find the solutions associated to problems of expansive soils. There have been many methods available to control expanssivenessof these soils. The removal of expansive soils and replacement with suitable material has been widely practised all over the world where there is suitable material within economic distances. Chemical stabilization is another alternative being used world wide even if the method is at conceiving stage in Ethiopia. Treating expansive soils with electrolytes is one of the chemical stabilization techiques toimprove the behavior of expansive soils. In the peresent study, the performance of Potassium chloride was evaluated based on laboratory test results on expansive soil collected from Addis Ababa around Kality area. The soil was initially characterized and classified based on indicative tests and found to be A-7-5 according to AASHTO and CH according to USCS systems. Soils with this categoryhave very low load bearing capacity and are highly expansive soils. Then the effects of Potassium chloride on the theengineering properties of the soil were evaluated and it was generally investigated that Potassium chloride decreases the swelling properties and increases load bearing capacity of the expansive soils to the minimum required level. So it can be used as a soil stabilizer chemical when it issufficiently abundant and ecconomically feasible

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GeotechnicalEngineering

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