Bio-Enzymatic Stabilization of a Soil Having Poor Engineering Properties
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Publisher
Springer
Abstract
Description
Soils with poor engineering properties have been
a concern to construction engineers because of the need to strike a balance between safety and economy during
earthworks construction. This research work investigates
the effects of treating a soil having poor geotechnical
properties with a bio-enzyme to determine its suitability for use as road pavement layer material. The elemental composition and microstructure of the soil was determined
using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning
electron microscopy, respectively. The specific gravity,
Atterberg limits, compaction, strength and permeability
characteristics of the soil was determined for various
dosages of the bio-enzyme. The mountain soil is classified as clayey sand and A-2–4, according to unified soil classification and AASHTO classification systems, respectively. With increasing dosage of the bio-enzyme, the plasticity index, maximum dry unit weight and permeability of the soil decreased, while its 28-day California bearing ratio value, unconfined compressive strength and shear strength increased. Consequently, the application of bio-enzyme to the soil improved its plasticity and strength, and reduced its permeability. It, therefore, became more workable and its subgrade quality was improved for use as a road pavement layer material. The stabilized soil can be suitably used for constructing pavement layers of light-trafficked rural (earth) roads, pedestrian walkways and bicycle tracks.
Keywords
T Technology (General), TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)