Stabilization of Expansion Soil Using Brick Dust

The black cotton soil is known as expansive type of soil which expands suddenly and starts swelling when it comes in contact with moisture. Due to this property of soil the strength and other properties of soil are very poor. To improve its properties, it is necessary to stabilize he soil by different stabilizers. Expansive type of soil shows unpredictable behavior with different kind of stabilizers. Soil stabilization is a process to treat a soil to maintain, alter or improve the performance of soil. In this study, the potential of burnt brick dust as stabilizing additive to expansive soil is evaluated for the improving engineering properties of expansive soil. The evaluation involves the determination of the swelling potential, linear shrinkage, atterberg’s limits, & compaction test of expansive soil in its natural state as well as when mixed with varying proportion of burnt brick dust (from 30 to 50%). The practices have been performed on three proportions 30%, 40%, and 50% with expansive soil. The research result shows considerable reduction in swelling of expansive soil. With increasing amount of stabilizer swelling decreases. Maximum decrement in swelling has been noted in 50% of replacement of soil by brick dust. Also, by increasing stabilizing content linear shrinkage reduces. Maximum decrement in shrinkage has been noted in 50% replacement of soil by stabilizer. Maximum dry density of soil is improving and optimum moisture content is decreasing with increasing stabilizing content. For increasing content of stabilizing agent brick dust atterberg’s limit values are also decreasing. Key Words: Soil stabilization, Brick dust, CBR, Atterberg's limits, Sieve analysis, Specific gravity.