WHAT IS SOIL STABILIZATION?

The concept of soil stabilization is that the soil is being altered in some form, whether
it is mechanically or chemically being locked in one place or being prevented from
moving. For example, picture you are looking to build a beautiful, large home in a
swampy area. The swampy area is continuously wet but sometimes dries. When the
area is wet, you cannot walk on the soil without sinking into it. In this instance, if you
were to build your beautiful home on that soil, the minute it got wet the house would
nearly collapse and you certainly don’t want that, I mean who does. To reduce the risk
of your beautiful home collapsing, you would need to do something to keep the soil
from moving. You can do this by mixing in some chemicals or compacting the soil so
much that it is more stable. Each of these options are methods of soil stabilization.

When people think of soil stabilization, they often think of construction or erosion
control. Whether it be road or foundation, it is important to remember that there are
several different instances in which soil stabilization can be beneficial. When using
soil stabilization for construction you are typically trying to strengthen the soil or keep
it from shifting so the structure above will remain intact for as long as possible thus
also preventing settlement. When using soil stabilization for erosion control you are
trying to keep the top layer of the soil in place so that when water or wind disturbs the
surface without this proper treatment, this will usually result in mudslides or hill sides
that are extremely unstable.

There are dozens of soil stabilization methods. These methods include adding cement
to the soil, adding chemicals to change the chemical or physical makeup of the soil,
and mechanical methods such as compaction. In this video I will only address one of
the most popular methods of soil stabilization i.e. the use of Fly-Ash, and then discuss
its strengths and weaknesses. It is also good to know about the various forms of soil
stabilization since you are not always able solve your soil stabilization troubles with
the same method.

SOIL TYPES
Understanding what type of soil you’re dealing with will help decide what method of
soil stabilization will be best for your application. There are four main types of soil:
Sand, Silt, Clay and Loam. Each soil has different characteristics and needs when
being stabilized.

One of the largest factors to consider when working on soil stabilization is the soil’s
organic content. The organic content is often measured by the soil’s Plasticity Index,
which is a result given by an Atterberg Test. It is essential to have an idea of the
organic content because this will help you figure out how the soil’s shape will change.
Soil that has less organic content often will not change shape when wet, while soil that
is highly organic will change shape dramatically when wet.

FLY ASH SOIL STABILIZATION

Fly ash soil stabilization is similar to lime or cement stabilization in principle but
differs based on the product being used. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal from coal-fired
power plants. Traditionally, the byproduct was stored in landfills or ponds and is still
is, but fly ash can also be used as a bonding agent to increase the soil’s strength. Just
as cement and lime stabilization are primarily used for soil stabilization as the subbase
to paved roads, fly ash’s primary use is to treat the subbase of paved roads. Because
fly ash is a dry additive, its advantageous to use fly ash in soil that’s regularly above
optimum moisture. The powder will absorb the moisture and lower the soil’s moisture
content.

There are two main types of fly ash, Class F and Class C. Class C fly ash is
cementitious and pozzolanic by nature. Once the fly ash is wet, it will harden because
of the cementitious nature, while the pozzolanic supplies a silica aspect. Class F Fly
ash is only pozzolanic in nature, which means that it will not harden on its own; it will
need an activator such as gypsum or calcium hydroxide. The types of fly ash are
dependent on which coals the fly ash is derived from, this will vary by location and
region.

Typically, fly ash reduces soil stabilization costs compared to lime or cement soil
stabilization. Fly ash is essentially a waste product from a different manufacturing
process. A large advantage to fly ash is the fact that it is a dry additive, which is
extremely helpful and beneficial for high moisture soils. Being a dry additive is also a
disadvantage in the fact that the additive can be labor intensive to apply as well as a
health concern to workers since the powder possesses an inhalation risk. The cure
time is another factor to weigh in when using fly ash. While this can vary depending
on the fly ash and soil, the cure time is usually slower than a cement or lime treated
soil would be.

Using fly ash as a means of soil stabilization varies in popularity around the world,
depending on the location. As the coal-fired power plants decrease in popularity and
production, the amount of fly ash that is produced will decrease substantially. This
means that in the future, fly ash will be hard to obtain.

So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of using Fly-Ash.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
 Permanent, long lasting  Health concerns
 Compatible with most soil types  Labor intensive
 Various types for different uses  Availability based on closeness of the construction site
 More cost effective than cement or lime
 Usable with high moisture soils to coal-fired power plants

So that’s it for today guys, feel free to post any

comments in the section below …. thanks for
watching.