CONTENTS

Chapter-1 : Introduction

Chapter-2 : Literature Review

Chapter-3 : Materials used and Methodology

Chapter-4 : Objectives of the Work and Experimental

 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Soils are deposited or formed by nature under different environmental conditions. Man does
not have any control on the process of soil formations. As such soil strata at a site are to be
accepted as they are and any construction has to be adapted to suit the subsoil conditions. The
existing soil conditions at a given site may not be suitable for supporting the desired facilities
such as buildings, bridges, dams, roads and so on because the safe bearing capacity of a soil
may not be to support the given load. Here comes the need to explore possibilities for
improving the existing soft/weak ground by adopting different artificial means.

Geotechnically soil improvement could either be by modification or stabilization or both. Soil

modification is the addition of a modifier (lime, cement etc.) to a soil to change/improve its
engineering properties, while soil stabilization is the treatment of soils to enable their strength
and durability to be improved such that they become totally suitable for construction beyond
their original classification.

Ground improvement in soil has five major functions:

 To increase the bearing capacity of weak soil

 To control deformations and accelerate consolidations
 To provide lateral stability
 To form seepage cut-off and environment control
 To increase resistance against liquefaction

These functions can be accomplished by modifying the ground’s character with or without
the addition of foreign materials. Improving the ground at the surface is usually easy to
accomplish and relatively inexpensive. When at depth, however, the task becomes more
difficult, usually requiring more rigorous analysis and the use of specialized equipments and
construction procedures.

Due to rapid industrialization throughout the world the production of huge quantity of waste
materials create not only the environmental problem but also depositional hazards. Safe
disposal of the same is a very vital issue and such situation can be addressed by the bulk
utilization of these materials mainly in the field of civil engineering applications. In recent
years the use of various waste products in civil engineering construction has gained
considerable attention in view of the shortage and high costs of conventional construction
materials, the increasing costs of waste disposal and environmental constraints. A
considerable amount of research works concerning stabilization of soil with additives such as
cement, lime, fly ash bitumen etc is available in the literature. But soil stabilization with lime
and rice husk ash or lime and raw rice husk is relatively a new method, specially lime and
raw rice husk stabilization a completely new idea.

In recent times the demand for suitable subgrade materials has increased due to increased
constructional activities in the road sector and also the paucity of nearby lands to allow to
excavate fill materials for making subgrade .Again soft soil deposits are problematic and
needs large scale displacement to facilitate road construction works. Such mass replacement
methods which are cost and labour intensive can be avoided if the poor soil is being improved
or modified in situ and reused as road construction materials. Different alternative generated
waste materials which cause not only environmental hazards but also the depositional
problems. Some of these materials can be economically and suitably used as admixtures or
stabilizers for improving soft or weak soil so as to make it fit for use as road subgrade
materials. The modified soft to be used for road construction work should be in line with the
practice of engineering in an environment friendly and sustainable way.

Over the years the two main materials for stabilizing, lime and cement have rapidly increased
in costs. The over dependence on the industrially manufactured soil improving additives
(cement, lime etc.) have kept the cost of construction of stabilized road financially high. The
use of agricultural wastes (Rice Husk Ash etc.) will considerably reduce the cost of
construction and also the environmental and disposal hazards they cause.
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 General

In this chapter an attempt has been made to present a review of past works carried out so far
by different researchers on the relevant topic. The works on lime and Rice Husk Ash as soil
stabilizing materials are reported in the following section in chronological order. Although a
number of researchers have attempted soil stabilization with lime but soil stabilization with
Rice Husk ash is almost an unexplored field specially the combined use of rice husk ash and
lime for soil stabilization.

2.2 Lime And Soil Stabilization

Soil stabilization occurs when lime is added to a reactive soil to generate long-term strength
gain through a pozzolanic reaction. This reaction produces stable calcium silicate hydrates and
calcium aluminate hydrates as the calcium from the lime reacts with the aluminates and silicates
solubilized from the clay. The full-term pozzolanic reaction can continue for a very long period
of time, even decades as long as enough lime is present and the pH remains high (above 10).
As a result, lime treatment can produce high and long-lasting strength gains. The key to
pozzolanic reactivity and stabilization is a reactive soil, a good mix design protocol, and
reliable construction practices.

2.3 Literature Review on Use of lime

Eades et al (1960) Chemical Reactions And Treatment Mechanism : Water absorption is

the first activity that occurs when lime (particularly quick lime) is added to soil. According to
Eades and Grim (1960), lime-soil chemical reaction has two stages. The first stage, which is
known as immediate or short-term treatment, occurs within a few hours or days after lime is
added. Three main chemical reactions, namely, cation exchange, flocculation-agglomeration
and carbonation occur at this stage. The second stage requires several months or years to
complete and is thus considered the long-term treatment. Pozzolanic reaction is the main
reaction at this stage. The drying of wet soil and the increase in soil workability is attributed
to the immediate treatment, whereas the increase in soil strength and durability is associated
with the long-term treatment. Pozzolanic reactions are time dependent and require long
periods of time (years) because such reactions are functions of temperature, calcium quantity,
pH value and the percentage of silica and alumina in the soil minerals.
Tabatabi (1997) Water content-density relationship : When lime is used as soil treatment
additive, soil particles became large-sized clusters, resulting in texture change. This
flocculation-agglomeration process results in floc formation. The enlarged particle size
causes the void ratio to increase.This increase in void ratio reflects the decrease in maximum
dry density. The moisture content for the soil-lime mixture compaction increased. Thus, the
required density can be easily achieved for a broad range of water content, thereby
conserving time, effort and energy.

Mallela (2004) Decreased plasticity index : Most plastic soils show significant reduction in
plasticity index. This reduction results from the decrease in liquid limit and the increase in
plastic limit. . In the study, the soil was mixed with 2.5 ,5.0 and 10% lime and the results
showed that the liquid limit decreased with increasing lime content, together with the
decrease in plastic limit and plasticity index.

Eades et al (1966) Increase in soil strength : Several researchers have used various
methodologies to evaluate the evolution of uncured and cured soil strength (determined in the
laboratory) with respect to lime content. The predominant methods were Unconfined
Compressive Strength (UCS) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR).

Rao et al (2005) Effect on compressibility : They conducted a series of tests on inorganic

clayey sediment to evaluate the influence of lime addition on the mechanical and hydraulic
soil properties as described previously. The results of the odometer test demonstrated that as
the pozzolanic reactions began, the Pre-consolidation pressure (Pc) increases linearly with
increasing lime content. Kassim and Chow (2000) demonstrated that as the curing period
progressed, the lime-treated soil modified the compression index and reduced the coefficient
of compressibility settlement.

Literature Review of Use on Rice Husk Ash (RHA)

Sivapulliah et al (2004) investigated the possibility of using RHA as a cushion below the
footing in expansive soil. Placing a cushion below the expansive soil and foundation is an
attractive proposal for overcoming the problem associated with construction of structures
over expansive soils such as Indian black cotton soils. Extensive studies on cohesive non
swelling soil as a cushion have shown that it is ineffective over cycles of swelling and
shrinkage of soil. They have found that RHA stabilized with 3-9% of lime or 10% of cement
and cured for about a week develops the properties required for an effective cushion material.
Stabilized RHA reduces the bandwidth of vertical movements of expansive soil not only
during the first cycle of swelling but also during the subsequent cycles of swelling and
shrinkage. The reduction increases with the thickness of the cushion. They have also found
that lime stabilized RHA is more effective than cement stabilized RHA.

Roy et al (2008) made an experimental study to explore the possibility of improving the
engineering properties of alluvial soil utilizing waste materials like pond ash and rice husk
ash and a little quantity of cement. Their experimental results indicated that significant
improvements in the index properties and CBR values specially soaked CBR value of alluvial
soil can be achieved by mixing alluvial soil with pond ash and rice husk ash and the most cost
effective proportion to the above mix was found to be 20:40:40.Further experiment with
addition of cement to the mix of above combination in 20:60:20 can improve the soaked CBR
to the largest increase and this proportion can use maximum alternative materials attaining
soaked CBR value the highest degree.

Hussain(2008) carried out research work on “Influence of pozzolans on mechanical

properties of cement column”. Ground settlement is one of the major crisis in Bankok due to
low bearing capacity of soft clay soil, causing problems of low stability and high settlement.
This problem can be overcome by cement columns when part of the port land cement was
replaced by pozzolans. His research also focuses on finding an effective mix design that may
be used on construction of cement columns by slurry mixing with optimum water cement
ratio.

Brooks et al (2009) carried out experiments to study the effect of mixing RHA and fly ash
with expansive soil in an effort to upgrade it as a construction material. He investigated the
potential of RHA-fly ash blend as a swell reduction layer between the footing of a foundation
and road subgrade. A cost comparison was also made for the preparation of the sub base of a
highway project with and without the admixture stabilizers.
 CHAPTER 3

MATERIALS USED & METHODOLOGY

3.1 Soil

Soil used in the present investigation has been collected from a road construction site near
Akhnoor road.

3.1.1 Types of Soil In Jammu

In Jammu mainly alluvial soils are found, which are loamy with little clay content and
contain small quantity of lime with high magnesium content.

The formation of soils in Jammu division is the result of climatic and geomorphic process
aided by geolithology. The soils of the Jammu region vary in origin from alluvial to residual
and glacial. The residual soils cover the hilly and mountainous areas of the division while the
alluvial soils are confined in the extreme southern portion of the division comprising the
foothill plains.

3.2 Lime

Until the invention of Portland cement, lime was used as the chief cementing material in the
construction field. Usually lime in free state is not found in nature. The raw material for the
manufacture of lime (CaO) is calcium carbonate which is obtained by the calcinations of lime
stone.

Quick Lime-It is the lime obtained after the calcinations of lime stone.

Hydrated Lime- When the quick lime is sprinkled with water it slakes within 10 minutes and
becomes powder and the fine powder obtained in the process is called hydrated lime. The
process is known as hydration of lime.

CaO + H2O --------- Ca(OH)2 + 15.6 kcal

On addition of lime to soil two main types of chemical reactions occur:-

 Alteration in the nature of absorbed layers through base exchange phenomenon

 Cementing or pozzolanic action.

Lime reduces the plasticity index of highly plastic soils making them more friable and easy
to be handled and pulverized. It also reduces the shrink swell properties of expansive soil.
The plasticity index of soils of low plasticity generally increases. There is generally an
increase in Optimum Moisture Content and decrease in Maximum Dry Density but the
strength and durability increases. Hydrated (slaked) lime is very useful and effective in
treating heavy, plastic clayey soils. Lime may be used alone or in combination with cement,
bitumen, fly ash, or other pozzolanic materials like rice husk ash etc. Sandy soils may also be
stabilized with these combinations. Lime has been mainly used for stabilizing the road bases
and sub grades. Lime is an unparrelled aid in the modification and stabilization of soil
beneath road and similar construction projects. Using lime can substantially increase the
stability, impermeability and load bearing capacity of the subgrade. And lime is a proven
solution for soil modification and stabilization in USA where more than one million metric
tons of lime is used annually for this purpose. The key to pozolanic reactivity and
stabilization is a reactive soil, a good mix design protocol, and a reliable construction
practices.

3.2.1 Characteristics of Lime

 Lime possesses good plasticity and is easy to work with

 It stiffens easily and is resistant to moisture

 It has excellent cementitious property

 The shrinkage on drying is small because of its high water retentivity.

Table-3.1 Chemical composition of Hydrated Lime

Constituents % by weight

SiO2 4.11

Al2 O3 3.11

Fe2 O3 2.70

Ca CO3 3.80

CaO 63.7

CaSO4 19.2

MgO 1.62

Loss on ignition 1.70

3.3 Rice Husk

Rice husk is a major agricultural by product obtained from food crop paddy. It is a most
commonly available lingo cellulosic material that can be converted into different kinds of
fuels and chemical feed stocks through a variety of thermochemical conversion processes.
Generally it was considered earlier a worthless by product of the rice mills. For every four
tons of rice one ton of husk is produced. The husk is disposed of either by dumping in an
open heap near the mill site or on the road site to be burnt. Its bulk density ranges from 86 to
114 Kg/m3. It has high ash content, generally 15 to 24% and the ash has high silica content.
The silica content of the available ash ranges from 90 to 97%. Rice husk has a chemical
composition as follows:-

Table-3.2 - Chemical composition of Rice Husk

Constituents % by weight

Cellulose 40 - 45

Lignin 25 - 30

Ash 15 - 24

Moisture 8 - 15

Using natural materials like rice husk for ground improvement is not a novel idea but
practiced by early civilization too. Straws, for instance, were mixed and compacted with mud
to make walls and pathways in olden days. The artificial fibres were included to enhance the
strength and durability of the earth as construction materials.

3.4. Rice Husk Ash

Rice Husk Ash is predominantly a siliceous material annually generated about 4.73 million
tons after burning raw rice husk in a boiler or in open fire. The normal method of conversion
from rice husk to rice husk ash is by incineration. Burning rice husk generates about 15-20%
of its weight as ash. Many industries use rice husk as a relatively cheap fuel. Concomitantly
abundance of the ash (RHA) can be a potential waste product. Indonesia produces paddy
annually around 50 million tons. The amount of rice husk ash is about 12.5 million tons and
the ash (RHA) production is about 4 million tons. The ash being very light easily is carried
by wind and water by in its dry state. It is difficult to coagulate and thus contribute to air and
water pollution. Cumulative generation of ash requires a large space for disposal. Utilization
of rice husk ash by exploiting its inherent properties is the only way to solve the
environmental and disposal problem of rice husk ash.

Chemically RHA consists of 82-87 % of silica, exceeding that of fly ash. Materials
containing high reactive silica (SiO2) is suitable to be used as lime-pozolana mixes and as
substitution of port land cement. The high percentage of siliceous materials in the RHA
makes it an excellent material for soil stabilization. The silica content in the rice husk ash
(RHA) is dependent on the following:- a) the variety of the rice, b) soil and climate
conditions, c) prevailing temperature and d) agricultural practices ranging from application of
fertilizers and insecticides etc.

A number of researchers has studied the physical and chemical properties of rice husk ash
(RHA). Rice husk ash can not be used alone for stabilizing soil because of the lack of the
cementitious properties. The high percentage of siliceous material in RHA indicates that it
has potential pozzolanic properties. The normal method of conversion of husk to ash is
incineration. The properties of RHA depend whether the husks have undergone complete
destructive combustion or have been partially burnt. The RHA has been classified into high
carbon char, low carbon ash and carbon free ash. The composition and properties of rice
husk ash is presented in table no 3.3 and 3.4 below.

Table-3.3 Composition of Rice Husk Ash (RHA) Used

Sl. No Components % present in RHA

1. SiO2 93.2

2. Al2O3 0.59

3. Fe2O3 0.22

4. CaO 0.51

5. MgO 0.41

6. K2O 2.93

7. Loss in Ignition 1.19

 Table 3.4 - Properties of Rice Husk Ash (RHA)

Sl. No Property Value

1. Specific Gravity 1.95

2. Max. Dry Density 8.5

3. Optimum Moisture 31.8

Content

4. Angle of Internal 38
Friction

5. Unsoaked CBR(%) 8.75

6. Soaked 8.15
CBR(%)
 CHAPTER 4

OBJECTIVES OF THE WORK AND EXPERIMENTAL

INVESTIGATIONS

4.1 OBJECTIVE

The objectives of the present study are as follows:-

1. To determine the applicability, effectiveness and suitability of lime and locally

available agricultural waste materials and Rice Husk Ash(RHA) in isolation and in
different combinations as soil stabilizing materials for use in road subgrade.

2. To characterize both the unstabilized and stabilized soil by conducting routine

laboratory tests like specific gravity, Atterberg Limits, grain size analysis etc.

3. To determine engineering properties e.g. optimum moisture content (OMC), maximum

dry density (MDD), California Bearing Ratio (CBR), both unsoaked and soaked for
both unstabilized and stabilized soil for assessing the improvement of soil with
stabilization in terms soil strength.

4. To find out the best possible design mix proportion of soil and admixtures which gives
maximum strength of stabilized soil compared to that of the original soil.

4.2 SCOPE

Scope for the present study

The scope of work for the present study is summarized below :-

1. Procurement of soft soil, Rice Husk Ash and lime.

2. Conducting routine laboratory tests of original soil, e.g. Liquid Limits,

Plastic Limit, grain size analysis, specific gravity, field moisture content,
etc. for characterizing the soil.

3. Preparation of soil admixtures mixes by percentage of dry weight with appropriate

preselected proportion.

4.2.1 Testing Procedure

The following experiments are conducted based on IS codes

 Determination of soil specific gravity

 Particle size distribution by sieve analysis
 Determination of Liquid limit by Casagrande’s apparatus
 Determination of Plastic limit
 Determination of maximum dry density (MDD) and the corresponding Optimum
Moisture Content (OMC) of the soil by standard proctor compaction test
 Determination of CBR value.

These tests are used to find out the various characteristics of the soil. These tests help in
determining properties such as size of soil, specific gravity, cohesiveness, atterberg’s limit
etc.

Firstly the above tests were conducted on soil sample to determine its properties. Thereafter,
Preparation of soil admixtures mixes by percentage of dry weight with appropriate
preselected proportion was done as shown in tables 4.1.

Table 4.1- Details of Mix Proportions of Lime and RHA with Soil

Mix Soil Lime RHA

No (%) (%) (%)

1. 100 0 0

2 97 3 0

3 94 6 0

4 91 9 0

5 92 3 5

6 87 3 10

7 89 6 5

8 84 6 10

9 86 9 5
 10 81 9 10

Then the above tests were repeated on these Mix Proportions of Lime and RHA with Soil
sample to determine its properties.

Thus detailed experimental study was under taken to investigate the characteristics and
behavior of typical locally available soil mixed with lime and Rice Husk Ash (RHA) in
different percentage and in several combinations from the view point of applicability of such
materials in road subgrade.

In view of the above the present experimental study has been aimed at to investigate the
behavior of soils with additions of alternative materials as detailed below:

❖ Typical locally available soil

❖ Typical locally available soil and lime

❖ Typical locally available soil mixed with lime and rice husk ash.

4.3 Soil Preparation:-

The soil was collected from site in large sacks. It is brought to the lab and is dried in oven for
24 hours in large pans. This soil due to loss of water formed big lumps which is broken to
smaller pieces or even fine powder and is sieved according to the needs of different
experiments.

4.4 Experimental Investigations :-

4.4.1 Experiment: Determination Of Specific Gravity Using Pycnometer:-

4.4.1.1 Introduction:-

The Pycnometer is used for determination of the specific gravity of soil particles of both fine
grained and coarse grained soils. The specific gravity of soil is determined using the relation:

Where M1=mass of empty Pycnometer,

M2= mass of the Pycnometer with dry soil

M3= mass of the Pycnometer and soil and water,

M4 = mass of Pycnometer filled with water only.

G= Specific gravity of soils.

4.4.1.2 Equipment for Pycnometer Test:-

1) Pycnometer of about 1 litre capacity

2) Weighing balance, with an accuracy of 1g.

3) Glass rod

4) Vacuum pump

4.4.1.3 Procedure for Specific Gravity of Soil by Pycnometer:-

Clean and dry the Pycnometer. Tightly screw its cap. Take its mass (M1) to the nearest of 0.1
g. Mark the cap and Pycnometer with a vertical line parallel to the axis of the Pycnometer to
ensure that the cap is screwed to the same mark each time. Unscrew the cap and place about
200 g of oven dried soil in the Pycnometer. Screw the cap. Determine the mass (M2).Unscrew
the cap and add sufficient amount of de-aired water to the Pycnometer so as to cover the soil.
Screw on the cap. Shake well the contents. Connect the Pycnometer to a vacuum pump to
remove the entrapped air, for about 20 minutes for fine-grained soils and about 10 minutes
for coarse-grained soils. Disconnect the vacuum pump. Fill the Pycnometer with water, about
three-fourths full. Reapply the vacuum for about 5 min till air bubbles stop appearing on the
surface of the water. Fill the Pycnometer with water completely upto the mark. Dry it from
outside. Take its mass (M3). Record the temperature of contents. Empty the Pycnometer.
Clean it and wipe it dry. Fill the Pycnometer with water only. Screw on the cap upto the
mark. Wipe it dry. Take its mass (M4).

4.4.2 Experiment: Liquid Limit Test Of Soil:-

4.4.2.1 Reference Standard:-

IS: 2720(Part 5)-1985- Methods of test for soils: Determination of liquid and plastic limit.

4.4.2.2 Equipment and Apparatus:-

1) Oven

2) Balance (0.01g accuracy)

3) Sieve (425 micron)

4) Casagrande apparatus
4.2.3 Preparation Sample:-

After receiving the soil sample, it is dried in air or in oven (maintained at a temperature of
600C). If clods are there in soil sample then it is broken with the help of wooden mallet. The
soil passing 425-micron sieve is used in this test.

4.4.2.4 Procedure:-

About 120 gm. of air dried soil from thoroughly mixed portion of material passing 425
micron IS sieve is obtained. Distilled water is mixed to the soil thus obtained in a mixing disc
to form uniform paste. The paste shall have a consistency that would require 30 to 35 drops
of cup to cause closer of standard groove for sufficient length. A portion of the paste is placed
in the cup of Casagrande device and spread into portion with few strokes of spatula. It is
trimmed to a depth of 1 cm. at the point of maximum thickness and excess of soil is returned
to the dish. The soil in the cup is divided by the firm strokes of the grooving tool along the
diameter through the center line of the follower so that clean sharp groove of proper
dimension is formed. Then the cup is dropped by turning crank at the rate of two revolutions
per second until two halves of the soil cake come in contact with each other for a length of
about 12 mm by flow only .The number of blows required to cause the groove close for about
12 mm. is recorded . A representative portion of soil is taken from the cup for water content
determination .The test is repeated with different moisture contents at least 3 times for blows
between 10 and 40.

4.4.2.5 Calculations:-

1) A ‘flow curve’ is to be plotted on a semi-logarithmic graph representing water content in

arithmetic scale and the number of drops on logarithmic scale.

2) The flow curve is a straight line drawn as nearly as possible through four points

3) The moisture content corresponding to 25 blows as read from curve is the liquid limit of
that soil

4.4.3 Experiment: Plastic Limit Test Of Soil

Plastic Limit Test [IS 2720 (part 5) – 1985]

4.4.3.1 General
In order to study the atterbergs limit it is important to conduct plastic limit test. Plastic limit
(PL) is the water content at which the soil rolled into thread of smallest diameter possible
starts crumbling and has a diameter of 3 mm

4.4.3.2 Apparatus

Evaporating dish of about 120 mm diameter, spatula, ground glass plate, moisture containers,
rod of 3 mm diameter, balance sensitivity to 0.01g, drying oven controlled at temperature
105˚C to 110˚C.

4.4.3.3 Procedure

About 30 g of dry soil sample passing through 425 micron IS sieve is weighed out. The soil
is mixed thoroughly with distilled water in the evaporating dish till the soil paste is plastic
enough to be easily moulded with fingers. A small ball (of about 8 g weight) is formed with
the fingers and this is rolled between the fingers and the ground glass plate to a thread
throughout its length. The pressure just sufficient to roll into a thread of uniform diameter
should be used. The rate of rolling should be between 80 to 90 strokes per minute counting a
stroke as one complete motion of hand forward and back to the starting position again. The
rolling is done till the diameter of the thread is 3 mm. Then the soil is kneaded together to a
ball and rolled again to form thread. During this process of alternate rolling and kneading
there will be loss in water content in the soil sample and it gradually become stiffer. The
process of kneading and rolling into thread is continued until the thread starts crumbling
under the same pressure required for rolling, when the thread just reaches a diameter of 3 mm
and the soil sample can no longer be rolled into thread of smaller diameter.. The water
content of the soil thread is determined which is plastic limit of the soil. The above process is
repeated three to four more times so as to get at least three consistent values of plastic limit.

4.4.4 Experiment: Sieve Analysis Of Soil:-

4.4.4.1Theory:-

Soil gradation (sieve analysis) is the distribution of particle sizes expressed as a percent of the
total dry weight. Gradation is determined by passing the material through a series of sieves
stacked with progressively smaller openings from top to bottom and weighing the material
retained on each sieve.
4.4.4.2 Need And Scope:-

The results of testing will reflect the condition and characteristics of the aggregate from
which the sample is obtained.

4.4.4.3 Apparatus Required:-

1. A series of sieve sets ranging from 4.75mm to 75μm (4.75mm, 1.18mm, 1.00mm, 600μm,
425μm, 300 µm, 150μm, 75μm) 2. Balance sensitive to ± 0.01g

4.4.4.4 Procedure:-

Soil passing 4.75mm I.S. Sieve and retained on 75micron I.S. Sieve contains no fines. Those
soils can be directly dry sieved rather than wet sieving. Take 500gm of the soil sample after
taking representative sample by quartering. Conduct sieve analysis using a set of standard
sieves as given in the data sheet. The sieving may be done either by hand or by mechanical
sieve shaker for 10 minutes. The percentage retained on each sieve is calculated on the basis
of the total weight of the soil sample taken. From these results the percentage passing
through each of the sieves is calculated. Draw the grain size curve for the soil in the semi-
logarithmic graph provided.

4.4.5 experiment:-to determinethe compaction characteristics of a soil specimen by

proctor’s test.

4.4.5.1theory

Compaction is the process of densification of soil by reducing air voids. The degree of
compaction of a given soil is measured in terms of its dry density. The dry density is
maximum at the optimum water content. A curve is drawn between the water content and the
dry density to obtain the maximum dry density and the optimum water content.

4.4.5.2 Dry Density of Soil:-

Where M = total mass of the soil, V= volume of soil, w= water content.

4.4.5.3 Equipments for Compaction Test of Soil (Proctor’s Test):-

Compaction mould of capacity 1000 cm3 with diameter of 100 mm and height 127.3 mm,
metal rammer of 50 mm diameter, 2.6 kg weight with a free drop of 310 mm, IS sieve 4.75
mm. Other accessories like moisture containers, spatula, trowel, balances of capacity 10 kg
and 200 g, drying oven, measuring cylinder.

4.4.5.4 Procedure for Compaction test of Soil:-

Take about 20kg of air-dried soil. Sieve it through 20mm and 4.7mm sieve. Calculate the
percentage retained on 20mm sieve and 4.75mm sieve, and the percentage passing 4.75mm
sieve. If the percentage retained on 4.75mm sieve is greater than 20, use the large mould of
150mm diameter. If it is less than 20%, the standard mould of 100mm diameter can be used.
The following procedure is for the standard mould. Mix the soil retained on 4.75mm sieve
and that passing 4.75mm sieve in proportions determined in step (2) to obtain about 16 to 18
kg of soil specimen. Clean and dry the mould and the base plate. Grease them lightly. Weigh
the mould with the base plate to the nearest 1 gram. Take about 16 – 18 kg of soil specimen.
Add water to it to bring the water content to about 4% if the soil is sandy and to about 8% if
the soil is clayey. Keep the soil in an air-tight container for about 18 to 20 hours for maturing.
Mix the soil thoroughly. Divide the processed soil into 6 to 8 parts. Attach the collar to the
mould. Place the mould on a solid base. Take about 2.5kg of the processed soil, and hence
place it in the mould in 3 equal layers. Take about one-third the quantity first, and compact it
by giving 25 blows of the rammer. The blows should be uniformly distributed over the
surface of each layer. Clean the base plate and the mould from outside. Weigh it to the
nearest gram. Remove the soil from the mould. The soil may also be ejected out. Take the
soil samples for the water content determination from the top, middle and bottom portions.
Determine the water content. Add about 3% of the water to a fresh portion of the processed
soil, and repeat the steps 10 to 14.

4.4.6 Experiment: California Bearing Ratio Test

4.4.6.1 Objective :-

To determine the California bearing ratio by conducting a load penetration test in the
laboratory.

4.4.6.2 Need And Scope :-

The California bearing ratio test is penetration test meant for the evaluation of subgrade
strength of roads and pavements. The results obtained by these tests are used with the
empirical curves to determine the thickness of pavement and its component layers. This is the
most widely used method for the design of flexible pavement.
This instruction sheet covers the laboratory method for the determination of C.B.R. of
undisturbed and remoulded/compacted soil specimens, both in soaked as well as unsoaked
state.

4.4.6.3 Definition of CBR :-

It is the ratio of force per unit area required to penetrate a soil mass with standard circular
piston at the rate of 1.25 mm/min. to that required for the corresponding penetration of a
standard material.

C.B.R. = Test load/Standard load * 100

The following table gives the standard loads adopted for different penetrations for the
standard material with a C.B.R. value of 100%

The test may be performed on undisturbed specimens and on remoulded specimens which
may be compacted either statically or dynamically.

4.4.6.4 Preparation of Test Specimen :-

Remoulded specimen

Prepare the remoulded specimen at Proctor’s maximum dry density or any other density at
which C.B.R> is required. Maintain the specimen at optimum moisture content or the field
moisture as required. The material used should pass 20 mm I.S. sieve but it should be
retained on 4.75 mm I.S. sieve. Prepare the specimen either by dynamic compaction or by
static compaction.

Static compaction

Calculate the weight of the wet soil at the required water content to give the desired density
when occupying the standard specimen volume in the mould from the expression.

W =desired dry density * (1+w) V

Where W = Weight of the wet soil

w = desired water content

V = volume of the specimen in the mould

Take the weight W (calculated as above) of the mix soil and place it in the mould.

Place a filter paper and the displacer disc on the top of soil. Keep the mould assembly in
static loading frame and compact by pressing the displacer disc till the level of disc reaches
the top of the mould. Keep the load for some time and then release the load. Remove the
displacer disc. The test may be conducted for both soaked as well as unsoaked conditions. If
the sample is to be soaked, in both cases of compaction, put a filter paper on the top of the
soil and place the adjustable stem and perforated plate on the top of filter paper. Put annular
weights to produce a surcharge equal to weight of base material and pavement expected in
actual construction. Each 2.5 kg weight is equivalent to 7 cm construction. A minimum of
two weights should be put. Immerse the mould assembly and weights in a tank of water and
soak it for 96 hours. Remove the mould from tank. Note the consolidation of the specimen.

4.4.6.5 Procedure for Penetration Test :-

Place the mould assembly with the surcharge weights on the penetration test machine .Seat
the penetration piston at the center of the specimen with the smallest possible load, but in no
case in excess of 4 kg so that full contact of the piston on the sample is established .Set the
stress and strain dial gauge to read zero. Apply the load on the piston so that the penetration
rate is about 1.25 mm/min. Record the load readings at penetrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5,
3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 mm. Note the maximum load and corresponding penetration if
it occurs for a penetration less than 12.5 mm. Detach the mould from the loading equipment.
Take about 20 to 50 g of soil from the top 3 cm layer and determine the moisture content.