Influence of industrial wastes and lime on strength characteristics of clayey soil

The stress-strain and volumetric behavior, shear strength parameters, permeability and stiffness of soft clayey soil stabilised with various proportions of molasses, waste foundry sand, and lime are investigated in this article using the variable head permeability test and consolidated drained triaxial test. The results of the tests showed that the permeability, stress-strain and volumetric behavior of the soft clayey soil were significantly enhanced by the addition of molasses, waste foundry sand, and lime. At all confining pressures, the volumetric strain was found to decrease with the inclusion of additives. The additives to soft clayey soil reduced cohesion to a limited extent whereas significantly increasing the angle of shearing resistance. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of all the optimum composites demonstrate that with the additives, a composite with higher strength and density is observed, and the geotechnical properties of soft clayey soil are improved, thereby making it suitable as a subgrade material in pavement construction.