Laboratory studies on the efficacy of Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Phosphogypsum for improving the properties of Expansive soil as subgrade for Flexible pavements

Abstract

Expansive soils are found in many parts of the world and in India they extend to twenty percentage of the area. Expansive soils experience significant volume changes associated with changes in water content. Any type of construction work on Expansive soils with high swelling and shrinkage behaviour will cause damage to the structures. The changes in volume of the soil are due to the minerals present in Expansive soils. This study aims to reduce the swelling behaviour of the soil and increase the strength of the soil with stabilisation technique using different admixtures and chemicals. In the present study palm oil fuel ash and phosphogypsum were used to improve the soil characteristics. The soil for the present study was collected from Thoorpulanka village, Allavaram mandal, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The changes in the soil properties due to addition of Palm Oil Fuel Ash and Phosphogypsum in different percentage combinations were studied through laboratory investigations.