Stabilization of Black Cotton Soil

STABILIZATION OF EXPANSIVE SOIL BY USING CRUMB RUBBER POWDER
MCHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 GENERAL
In today’s world due to rapid growth of urbanization and modernization leads to scarcity of
land for construction. The increasing value of land and due to limited availability of site for
construction of structures and roads are done on land having expansive clays. The stability of
structure or road depends on soil properties on which it has built. The constructions can be
economical if the soil is good at shallow depth below the ground surface. In this case shallow
foundations such as raft foundations or footings can be used. However if the soil available on
top surface is weak and strong stratum is available at greater depth foundations such as pile
foundation, deep foundation, caisson and well foundation can be used. Such foundations are
not economical for small structures. In some cases soil condition are so poor even at greater
depths.
Figure1: Map of India showing Black Cotton & other soils
[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 1|Page
Around 20% area of India is covered with these expansive soils. These are also called as
“Black Cotton Soil”. These soils undergo swell shrink behaviour due to presence of a mineral
called montmorillonite. Expansive soils have very low shear strength when saturated and
exhibit high volumetric change during wetting and drying. These soils are very weak so as
not fit to construct any structure or pavement above it. The property of the soil has to be
increased before any structure or pavement has to be built over it.
The industrial revolution made mind-blogging changes in the trade and transport sector.
Developing countries like India mainly depend on the transportation sector for their
economical growth. There is a continuous development and growth in the usage of motor
vehicles. The growth and usage of motor vehicles have not only caused noise pollution, air
pollution etc. but also has created problems in discarding the tyre’s. Rubber does not
decompose and as a result, an economically feasible and environmentally sound disposal
method has to be found out. One of the common and feasible ways to utilize these waste
products is to go for construction of roads, highways and embankments. If these materials can
be suitably utilized in construction of roads, highways and embankments then the pollution
problem caused by the industrial wastes can be greatly reduced. Huge amount of soil is used
in the construction of roads and highways but sufficient amount of soil of required quality is
not available easily. Utilization of various industrial wastes such as crumb rubber as a soil
replacement not only solves environmental problems but also provides a new resource for
construction industry.
The variation in shear strength directly influences bearing capacity. These seasonal
changes cause large damage to the structures built on these soils. Damage like cracking and
breakup of pavements, railway lines, embankments, built foundations, reservoir lining, water
tanks, sewer lines etcetera are cause.
Geotechnical Engineers dealing with construction on or with Expansive soils have two
major challenges in front of them. On one hand identification of expansive soils,
determination and choice of design swelling characteristics for a given particle case involve
a great degree of uncertainty and on the hand equally difficult is the choice and design of
foundation and pavements as every available choice involves a certain degree of risk and
damage. Usually the design alternative of lowest cost is associated with a high degree of risk.
Several methods were reported in literature for Identification, determination, and prediction
of swelling soils with numerous limitations and with a little acceptance on universal basis.
The developments in the selection and design of foundations are not much different from that
of swelling characteristics. The successes and failure for each of foundation alternatives
proposed in literature are almost equal. Some techniques proved to be too uneconomical to
adopt for all types of structures while others were too sensitive to environmental and climatic
changes leading to high uncertainties in the safety of the structures supported. Structures are
not only constructed on the soil but also with soil for example embankments, earth dams,
airfield and highway pavements. Soils in general are used as constructed materials as available
in nature with a little processing. However, expansive soils where necessary cannot be used
as construction materials without altering their properties suitable by some mean.
1.2 Description of Expansive Soil

Most soil in the Front Range can be classified as a swelling soil. This means that the soil
contains a high percentage of certain types of clay that absorb vast quantities of water.
Expansive soils are also sometimes called shrink-swell soils, swelling soils, adobe, clay, or
caliche soils. This can cause the soil to expand 10% or more as moisture enters it, usually
during winter snow melt and spring runoff. The soil then exerts tremendous pressure on
foundations, slabs, and other structures. Now, this soil also contracts when the moisture
evaporates during our hot summer months, causing extreme differences in the pressure being
generated on your foundation, driveway, or patios.
Figure 2: montmorillonite clay mineral
Soil is defined as sediments or other accumulation of mineral particles produced by the

physical or chemical disintegration of rocks plus the air, water, organic matter and other
substances that may be included. Soil is typically a non-homogeneous, porous, earthen
material whose engineering behaviour is influenced by changes on moisture content and

density. Black Cotton soil is clayey soil grayish to blackish in colour. Some clayey soil
contains montmorillonite clay mineral which has high expansive characteristics.
Montmorillonite is the most common of all the clay minerals in expansive clay soils. The
mineral made up of sheet like units.
1.2.1 Identifying Expansive Soil

Soil that cracks or fractures when it dries is often a sign that it is expansive; however a lack
of cracks does not necessarily indicate that the soil is not expansive. Soils containing
expansive clays become very sticky when wet and usually are characterized by surface
cracks or a "popcorn" texture when dry. Expansive soils take on a popcorn like appearance
when they dry, they look like someone spread little lumps of popcorn shaped dirt on the
soil surface, it is shown in the Figure 3. Expansive soils are often clay like, becoming very
sticky when wet and hard and brittle when dry. The best way to determine if the soil at a
location is expansive is to have an expansion test performed by a soil expert. Expansive
soils are common in desert areas, and also in river bottoms or valleys formed by sediment.
They typically form in areas that were once covered by seas or lakes. Often your local
government building department can tell you if the soil in your area is known to have
expansion problems.
Figure 3: Expansive soil with "popcorn" texture Figure 4: Expansive soil with cracks
1.2.2 Swell - Shrink Behaviour

The swell - shrink potential of expansive soils is determined by its initial water content;
void ratio; internal structure and vertical stresses, as well as the type and amount of clay
minerals in the soil.Swelling pressures can cause heaving, or lifting, of structures whilst
shrinkage can cause differential settlement. Failure results when the volume changes are
unevenly distributed beneath the foundation.
These minerals determine the natural expansiveness of the soil, and include smectite,
montmorillonite, nontronite, vermiculite, illite and chlorite. Generally, the larger the
amount of these minerals present in the soil, the greater the expansive potential. However,
these expansive effects may become ‘diluted’ by the presence of other non-swelling
minerals such as quartz and carbonate.
Excluding deep underground excavations (e.g. tunnels), shrinkage and swelling effects
arerestricted to the near surface zone; significant activity usually occurs to about 3m depth,
but this can vary depending on climatic conditions.
Fine-grained clay-rich soils can absorb large quantities of water after rainfall, becoming
sticky and heavy.
Conversely, they can also become very hard when dry, resulting in shrinking and cracking
of the ground. This hardening and softening is known as ‘shrink-swell’ behaviour.
When supporting structures, the effects of significant changes in water content on soils
with a high shrink–swell potential can be severe.
Swelling and shrinkage are not fully reversible processes. The process of shrinkage causes
cracks, which on re-wetting, do not close-up perfectly and hence cause the soil to bulk-out
slightly, and also allow enhanced access to water for the swelling process.
In geological time scales shrinkage cracks may become in-filled with sediment, thus
imparting heterogeneity to the soil. When material falls into cracks the soil is unable to
move back, thus resulting in enhanced swelling pressures (Jefferson, 2011).
1.2.3 Factors Influencing Swelling

The swell potential of a Expansive Soil may be affected by either the soil properties
influencing the nature of the internal force field, the environmental factors those may
change the internal force system or the state of stress present on the soil.
Some physical factors such as initial water content, initial density, amount and type of
compaction also influence the swell potential and swell parameters of soils (Baser, 2009).
These factors are summarized below:
A. Soil Properties Influencing Swell Potential

• Clay Mineralogy: Clay minerals which typically cause soil volume changes
are montmorillonites, vermiculates, and some mixed layer minerals. Illites and
Kaolinites are frequently inexpansive, but can cause volume changes when
particle sizes are extremely fine.
• Soil Water Chemistry: Swelling is repressed by increased cation
concentration and increased cation valence. For example, Mg2+ cations in the
soil water would result in less swelling than Na+ cations.
• Soil Suction: Soil suction is an independent effective stress variable,
represented by the negative pore pressure in unsaturated soils. Soil suction is
related to saturation, gravity, pore size and shape, surface tension, and electrical
and chemical characteristics of the soil particles and water.
• Plasticity: In general, soils that exhibit plastic behaviour over wide ranges of
moisture content and that have high liquid limits have greater potential for
swelling and shrinkage. Plasticity is an indicator of swell potential.
• Soil Structure and Fabric: Flocculated clays tend to be more expansive than
dispersed clays. Cemented particles reduce swell. Fabric and structure are
altered by compaction at high water content or remolding. Kneading
compaction has been shown to create dispersed structures with lower swell
potential than soils statically compacted at lower water contents.
• Dry Density: Higher densities usually indicate closer particle spacing, which
may mean greater repulsive forces between particles and larger swelling
potential.
B. Environmental Factors Affecting Swell Potential

• Initial Moisture Content: A desiccated expansive soil will have high affinity
for water, or higher suction than the same soil at higher water content, lower
suction. Conversely, a wet soil profile will loose water more readily on
exposure to drying influences, and shrink more than a relatively dry initial
profile. The initial soil suction must be considered in conjunction with the
expected range of final suction conditions.
• Moisture Variations: Changes in moisture in the active zone near the upper
part of the profile primarily define heave, it is in those layers that the widest
variation in moisture and volume change will occur.
• Climate: Amount and variation of precipitation and evapotranspiration greatly
influence the moisture availability and depth of seasonal moisture fluctuation.
Greatest seasonal heave occurs in semiarid climates that have short wet periods.
• Groundwater: Shallow water tables provide source of moisture and fluctuating
water tables contribute to moisture.
• Drainage: Surface drainage features, such as ponding around a poorly graded

house foundation, provide sources of water at the surface; leaky plumbing can
give the soil access to water at greater depth.
• Vegetation: Trees, shrubs, and grasses deplete moisture from the soil through
transpiration, and cause the soil to be differentially wetted in areas of varying
vegetation.
• Permeability: Soils with higher permeability, particularly due to fissures and
cracks in the field soil mass, allow faster migration of water and promote faster
rates of swell.
• Temperature: Increasing temperatures cause moisture to diffuse to cooler
areas beneath pavements and buildings.
C. Stress Conditions Affecting Swell Potential

• Stress History: An over consolidated soil is more expansive than the same soil
at the same void ratio, but normally consolidated. Swell pressures can increase
on aging of compacted clays, but amount of swell under light loading has been
shown to be unaffected by aging. Repeated wetting and drying tend to reduce
swell in laboratory samples, but after a certain number of wetting-drying cycles,
swell is unaffected.
• In situ Conditions: The initial stress state in a soil must be estimated in order
to evaluate the probable consequences of loading the soil mass and/or altering
the moisture environment therein. The initial effective stresses can be roughly
determined through sampling and testing in a laboratory, or by making in-situ
measurements and observations.
• Loading: Magnitude of surcharge load determines the amount of volume
change that will occur for a given moisture content and density. An externally
applied load acts to balance inter-particle repulsive forces and reduces swell.
• Soil Profile: The thickness and location of potentially expansive layers in the
profile considerably influence potential movements. Greatest movement will
occur in profiles that have expansive clays extending from the surface to depths
below the active zone. Less movement will occur if expansive soil is overlain
by non-expansive material or overlies bedrock at shallow depth.
1.3 Damage to Structures from Expansive Soil

All structures experience various levels of damages during their lifetime. For structures
to be economical especially those made of concrete, a certain degree of cracking is
inevitable. The damages are due to design faults or no design at all, cheap construction
materials, poor workmanship or calamities, poor drainage characteristics, climatic
condition and intricate behaviour of expansive soils.
The most obvious identifications of damage to buildings are doors and windows that get
jammed, uneven floors, and cracked foundations, floors, masonry walls and ceilings.
Moreover, different crack patterns mean different causes for different foundation
materials.
In most cases, cracks due to shrinkage and expansive clay usually run from corner towards
adjacent opening and are uniform in width or v-shaped, wider at the top than the
foundation wall. This pattern of cracks happens when the moisture movement is from the
perimeter to the centre of the house (Lucian, 2011). Several examples of damage to
structures show in figures below.
Figure 5: Residential driveway damaged by expansive soil
Figure 6: Structural damage to house caused by ‘end lift’
Figure 7: Cracks in exterior walls, as a result of upward soil expansion
Figure 8: Major cracks in exterior walls at doors and windows
Swelling pressures can cause heaving, or lifting, of structures whilst shrinkage can cause
differential settlement. Failure results when the volume changes are unevenly distributed
beneath the foundation. For example, water content changes in the soil around the edge
of a building can cause swelling pressure beneath the perimeter of the building, while the
water content of the soil beneath the centre remains constant. This results in a failure
known as end lift. The opposite of this is centre lift, where swelling is focused beneath
the centre of the structure or where shrinkage takes place under the edges (Lee D Jones,
2011).
Often, damage from expansive soils can be seen within the first few months or years after
a home is constructed. As water from irrigation or rainfall migrates underneath the home’s
foundation, the soil around the edge of the foundation expands, pushing up on the edges
of the foundation. This condition, called edge-lift, can cause cracking in the drywall and
in the foundation itself. Over a period of years, as the moisture further migrates
underneath the centre of the slab, centre-lift can occur, causing additional damage to the
home.
1.4 Control the Swell-Shrink Behaviour

Expansive soils owe their characteristics to the presence of swelling clay minerals. As they
get wet, the clay minerals absorb water molecules and expand; conversely, as they dry they
shrink, leaving large voids in the soil. Swelling clays can control the behavior of virtually
any type of soil if the percentage of clay is more than about 5 percent by weight. Soils with
smectite clay minerals, such as montmorillonite, exhibit the most profound swelling
properties.
Control the shrink-swell behavior through the following alternatives:

∗ Replace existing expansive soil with non-expansive soil.
∗ Maintain a constant moisture content.
∗ Improve the expansive soils by stabilization.
 Replace existing expansive soil with non-expansive soil

The process involves replacing the original top expansive soil with compacted non-
expansive backfill to a depth below which the seasonal moisture content will tend to remain
constant. The idea behind is to capitalize on constant specific volume maintained by non-
expensive soil when the water contents change.
However, soil replacement is economical for reasonable thickness of the expansive soil.
Thus, if the expansive stratum extends to a depth too great to remove economically, then
other treatments should be sought.
 Maintain constant moisture content

a. Increased moisture content
The main source of soil moisture changes in the soils is rainfall. Other sources include poor
drainage system and poor roof drainage, plumbing leakage and wet spots around the
foundation, overwatering and trees. The following recommendations are put forward
against each source.
i. Rainfall: the way out is to properly grade the soil around the building with a
reasonable slop enough to carry all water well away from the foundation and
beyond the backfill area. Gutters with downspouts should be provided to discharge
rainwater into area drains with catch basins that divert rainfall away from the house
to hard surfaces.
ii. Poor drainage: pave around the foundation with concrete or non-erodible surfaces.
The overall grading must provide for positive drainage away from the foundation
[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 10 | P a g e

direct to the concrete channel drains. The channel drains should again discharge
water away from the foundation.
iii. Plumbing line leaks: repair the leaks.
iv. Over-watering: plant flowers and shrubs away from the foundation that no watering
takes place around the foundation.
v. Trees: always plant trees a distance greater than their mature height away from the
foundation.
For existing trees, cut and cap their roots so that they do not trespass to the
foundation.
b. Decreased moisture content

During hot days soil moisture content decreases considerably resulting into soil
dehydration hence its shrinkage under the foundation. The best way is to assist the
‘mother nature’ by watering the soils surrounding the foundation as need arises.
However, this recommendation is hypothetical in third world countries where water
scarcity is the order of the day.
 Improve the expansive soils by stabilization
Soil stabilization can improve the properties of expansive soils considerably. Possible
materials for the stabilization could include lime, pozzolana, lime-pozzolana mixture,
cement, resins or fly ash. The choice of a material or a combination of materials depends
on the size and importance of the building (risk/damage acceptable) and economic
consideration of the client. However, the need to strike a proper balance between quality
and cost should not be overlooked (Charles Lucian,2011).

1.5 Soil Stabilization:
Soil stabilization is the process of improving the engineering properties of the soil and thus
making it more stable. It is required when the soil available for construction is not suitable
for the intended purpose. In its broadest senses, stabilization includes compaction, pre-
consolidation, drainage and many other such processes. However, the term stabilization is
generally restricted to the processes which alter the soil material itself for improvement of
its properties.
Soil stabilization is used to reduce the permeability and compressibility of the soil mass
in earth structures and to increase its shear strength. Soil stabilization is required to increase
the bearing capacity of foundation soils. However, the main use of stabilization is to improve
the natural soils for the construction of highways and airfields. The principles of soil
stabilization are used for controlling the grading of soil and aggregates in the construction
of bases and sub- bases of the highways and airfields.
The term soil stabilization means the improvement of the stability or bearing power of a
poor soil by the use of controlled compaction; proportioning and the addition of suitable
admixtures or stabilizers. Soil stabilization deals with mechanical, physico-chemical and
chemical methods to make the stabilized soil serve its purpose. The stabilization process,
essentially involve excavation of the in-situ soil, treatment to the in-situ soil and compacting
the treated soil. As the stabilization process involve excavation of the in-situ soil, this
technique is ideal for improvement of soil in shallow depths such as pavements. Methods of
stabilization may be grouped under two main types:
(a) Modification or improvement of a soil property of the existing soil without using any
admixture and
(b) Modification of the properties with the help of admixture.
The examples of the first type are compaction and drainage, which improve the inherent
shear strength of soil.
The examples of the second type are stabilization with admixtures like cement, lime,
bitumen, fly ash and chemicals. Deep soil deposits are stabilized by electrical methods,

grouting, freezing etc. The use of lime, cement and bitumen has become common as
stabilizing agents. The soil chosen for the purpose of the present study is a Black Cotton soil
and the stabilizers used are crumb rubber powder.
Soil is the basic material for construction of road. When black cotton soil which is having
poor engineering properties is encountered, a civil engineer has following options
1) Finding new site for construction
2) Redesign the structure
3) Removing poor soil and replace it
4) Improving the engineering properties of locally available soil
In developing countries like India, where industrial growth is very high and the disposal of
waste is a problem, use of the waste for improving engineering properties of soil will be
eco-friendly and economical solution.
1.6 Need for Present Study:
The review of literature shows that the rubber tire is a versatile material with attractive
characteristics and advantages and as a result this material is now being used abundantly all
over the world. The number of scrap tires worldwide is increasing every year due to the
increase in the population of vehicles both in developed and developing countries. The number
of scrap tires may further increase due to rapid economic growth in some developing countries
such as India where the demand for vehicles has been increasing significantly. A large number
of used tires are disposed of every year. A more productive, environmentally desirable use of
these tires would be the construction of embankments and backfills with tire shreds or mixtures
of tire shreds and sand (rubber sand).Such fills are lighter than traditional soil fills.
Additionally, the present study shows that the strength of these materials is usually adequate
for such applications. Reuse of large amounts of scrap tires is beneficial, and several
researchers have devoted their attention to the use of scrap tires for civil and environmental
engineering application. One of these applications is the use of shredded scrap tires as drainage
material in landfill cover systems. Landfill cover design generally consists of three layers: the
barrier layer, the drainage layer, and the cover soil layer. The purpose of the drainage layer is
to allow any infiltrated water to drain from the overlying cover soil layer so that it is prevented
from seeping into the underlying barrier layer and the waste. Tire shreds are very free draining.
Even when they are compressed under the weight of overlying fill, they still have permeability

greater than 1 cm/sec. With this high permeability, tire chips can be used as drainage layers in
landfills and roads. A useful property of tire shreds is that they have a high insulating value.
When combined with their good drainage properties, this means that tire shreds can be used to
limit frost penetration beneath roads and to remove excess water during the spring thaw. Due
to the special properties of tire shreds together with their wide-spread availability, they have
been used as lightweight fill for numerous highway embankments and landslide stabilization
projects, backfill behind bridge abutments, insulation and drainage layers beneath roads, and
drainage layers in landfill liners.
1.7 OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF THE WORK:

CHAPTER−2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The literature on the topic of soil stabilization is received in this chapter. Some
papers dealing with experimental investigations on soil stabilization using randomly mixed
crumb rubber are discussed in the present chapter.
2.2 Review of soil stabilization research
Engineering properties of clayey subgrade soils may need to be improved by adopting some
sort of stabilization methods so as to make them suitable for construction. Stabilization of
pavement subgrade soils has traditionally relied on treatment with lime, cement, or waste
materials such as flyash, slags, Silica Fume, etc. Many researchers are looking for alternative
materials for soil stabilization. Studies have been conducted with the crumb rubber to observe
the characteristics of crumb rubber when mixed with soil. Baykal et al., (1992) mixed clay and
fly ash samples with used tyre obtained from retarding industry and hydraulic conductivity
tests were conducted using water gasoline as permeates. The strength of soiltyre chip mixture
decreases once the rubber content exceeds 30% in the mixture because soiltyre chip mixture
behaves less like reinforced soil and more like a tyre chip mass with sand inclusion (Foose,
1996). Falling head permeability tests were conducted on rubber mixed soil samples and it was
observed that when water permeated through samples, a slight increase in hydraulic
conductivity was observed. Lee et al., (1999) also determined the shear strength and stress
strain relationship of tyre chip and a mixture of sand and tyre chips. They found out the stiffness
and strength properties for tyre sheds and rubber sand mixture. Rao and Dutta, (2001)
conducted studies on sand mixed with rubber chips. Compressibility tests and triaxial tests were
conducted. The stress strain relations and strength parameters were studied. It was found that
the value of internal friction and effective cohesion of sand increased with increase in
percentage of rubber up to 15%. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of the
utilization of industrial waste crumb rubber to stabilize soils.
P. G. Rakaraddi stabilize the black cotton soil and shedi soil by rubber tyre chips. Black cotton
was collected from Vidyagiri area of Bagalkot city and shedi soil was collected from Haliyal

road of Dharwad city area and the various properties of soil. The soil was mixed with randomly
distributed shredded rubber tyre chips with 5%, 10%, 15% and cement with 2% and 4%
percentage. The unconfined and CBR tests were carried out in the laboratory for different mix
proportions of rubber with black cotton soil and shedi soil. Considerable improvement was
found in strength of black cotton and shedi soil for the 5% percent mix of rubber tyre chips.
Umar Jan, Vinod K. stabilize the clayey soil by Shredded Rubber Tyre. Shredded rubber tyre
having sizes ranges from 15mm to 25mm (Width) and 30mm to 50mm (Length) and the steel
belting was removed are used extensively. Added amount of rubber tyre had been varied in
proportions of 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%. Use of shredded rubber tyres in geotechnical engineering
for enhancing the soil properties has received great attention in the recent times. The optimum
moisture content as well as maximum dry density is found to decrease with the increase of the
percentage of rubber tyre content. Shredded rubber tyre mixed with soil showed enhancement
in CBR value with adding up to 8 % and there beyond decreased with additional increment in
tyre content in unsoaked condition. Hence the optimal value of shredded rubber tyre is 8 % of
size 25 mm×50 mm in unsoaked conditions

CHAPTER 3
MATERIAL & METHODOLOGY
3.1MATERIAL
3.1.1 Expansive soil:
Expansive soil are generally reddish brown to black in colour. They occur 0.50m to 10 m deep
possessing high compressibility. Common characteristics are listed in table-2 below
The physical properties of Black cotton soil (BC soil) vary from place to place 40 % to 60 %
of the Black cotton soil (BC soil) has a size less than 0.001 mm. At the liquid limit, the volume
change is of the order of 200 % to 300% and results in swelling pressure as high as 8 kg/cm2/
to 10 kg/cm2. As such Black cotton soil (BC soil) has very low bearing capacity and high
swelling and shrinkage characteristics. Due to its peculiar characteristics, it forms a very poor
foundation material for road construction. Soaked laboratory CBR values of Black Cotton soils
are generally found in the range of 2 to 4%. Due to very low CBR values of Black cotton soil
(BC soil) excessive pavement thickness is required for designing for flexible pavement.
Research & Development (R&D) efforts have been made to improve the strength
characteristics of Black cotton soil (BC soil) with new technologies. The construction of
foundation for structure on black cotton soils poses challenge to civil engineers.
3.1.2 Crumb Rubber Powder (CRP):
For improving the engineering properties of the problem clay, crumb rubber powder was
chosen as an additive. Crumb rubber is a term usually applied to recycled rubber from
automotive and truck scrap tires. During the recycling process steel and fluff is removed
leaving tire rubber with a granular consistency. Continued processing with a granulator and/or
cracker mill, possibly with the aid of mechanical means, reduces the size of the particles further.
Now a days Crumb rubber is often used as an additive in bituminous concrete mixes. Globally
over 1 billion tyres are manufactured annually. The global rubber scrap figure stands at 10-16
million tons and almost 60% of this comes from tyres. Currently urban India is facing a massive
rubber waste disposal. Rubber waste, when untreated, leads to various environmental concerns

and wastage of natural resources which stresses the need to recycle rubber. Apart from
environmental benefits recycling waste rubber also has tremendous potential of generating
wealth. To address the above concerns CRP is used as an additive to improve the engineering
properties of problem clay used in the local tile manufacturing industry, thus trying to reduce
the impact of waste rubber in the environment. The CRP which is used in the study are of 1.18
mm down size (IS sieve). In the present investigation, CRP is used as an additive in the present
investigation to get desired engineering properties in the available problem clay and also to
make the roofing tiles light weight.
Figure 9: Crumb Rubber Powder (CRP)
3.2 METHODOLOGY
Laboratory investigations were conducted on the soil specimens in order to study the properties
of soil and soil mixed with varying percentages of crumb rubber (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%). The
tests were conducted according to Indian standards IS: 2720
3.2.1 SOIL PROPERTIES
The soil is obtained from chirala, Near Dandubatha road. Different properties
tested in laboratory are
 Index properties
 Engineering properties

3.2.2 INDEX PROPERTIES:
The properties of soil, which are not of primary interest to the geotechnical engineering,
but are indicative of the engineering properties are called index properties.
This includes –
Particle Size Analysis: This is method of separation soils into different fraction bases on
particles present into soils. It can be shown graphically on a particle size distribution curve.
Specific Gravity: It can be classified as the ratio of the weights of a given volume of soil
solid at a given temperatures of the weight of an equal volume of distilled water at that
temperature both weight being taken in air.
Atterberg’s Limit: The water content at which the soil changes from one state to other
state are known as consistency limits or Atterberg’s limit. The Atterberg’s limit which are
useful for engineering purposes are; Liquid limit, plastic limit and shrinkage limit. These
limits are expressed as percent water content.
o Liquid limit: - It is defined as the minimum water content at which the soil is still
in liquid state but has a small strength against flowing which can be measured by
standard available means.
o Plastic limit:- It is defined as minimum water content at which soil will just begin to
crumble water rolled into a thread approximately 3mm in diameter, Plasticity index
is determined as difference of L.L. and P.L.
o Shrinkage limit: - It is defined as the maximum water content at which a reduction

in water content will not cause a decrease in the volume of soil mass.
3.2.3 Engineering Properties of black cotton Soil:

The main engineering properties of soil are permeability, plasticity, compaction,
compressibility and shear strength.
Permeability: The permeability is defined as the property of a porous material which

permits the passage or seepage of water through its interconnecting voids
Plasticity: It is defined as the property of a soil which allows it to be deformed rapidly,

without elastic rebound, without volume change.

Compaction: Compaction is a process by which the soil particles artificially rearrange

and packed together into a closer state of contact by mechanical means in order to
decrease the porosity of the soil and thus increase its dry density.
Compressibility: The property of soil mass pertaining to its susceptibility to decrease

in volume under pressure is known as compressibility.
Shear Strength: This is the resistance to deformation by continuous shear displacement

of soil particles or on masses upon the action of a shear stress.

CHAPTER 4
EXPERIMENTAL STUDY & RESULTS
4.1 PREPARING OF SOIL:

4.1.1 AIR DRYING
The first step in preparing a soil for testing was to air dry the soil. This was accomplished by
spreading the soil over a large area. The soil was spread this enough so that it could completely
air dry in a few days. When the soils had very high clay contents, much more time was invested
in spreading the sample out. This typically included breaking the sample into s mall sections,
so that it could air dry in a reasonable time. The length of time each sample was left out to air
dry depends on its moisture content. Some of the very moist samples took up to five days to
dry. Figure below show air drying of a soil sample taken from a bucket.
4.1.2. PULVERIZING
After drying the samples, they were pulverized and placed back in their representative buckets.
This process involved placing the sample in a larger mixer, and attaching a pulverizing wheel
to mixer. The sample was then left to run in the mixer for approximately 20 minutes (depended
on how long it took create a fine soil mixture). Figure below show the pulverizing process.
4.1.3. MIXING
Once all four buckets in a group were pulverized, 5 kg of each bucket was placed in the mixer.
While weighing out the 5kg, carefully attention was paid to remove any rocks, extraneous
material, or larger solid hunks of the soil. The soils were then left in the mixer for
approximately 15 minutes to make sure they were thoroughly mixed. Figure below show the
mixing process of one group of soil.
4.1.4 OVEN DRYING− in order make sure the samples were properly dried; the 20kg sample
(5 kg from each bucket) was placed in an oven at 60°c to 140°c for one day.

4.2 LABORATORY TESTS:

For the stabilized soil specimens, step percentages of Crumb rubber powder (CRP) by dry
weight of soil (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20%) was introduced into the soil.
Various tests and analysis were carried out to examine the effects of the Crumb rubber powder
(CRP) on the Expansive soil namely
 Specific Gravity- By Density bottle Method
 Free swell Index Test
 Permeability Test – By Constant head method
 Particle Size Distribution- By Hydrometer particle size analysis
 Atterberg’s Limits (Liquid limit, Plastic limit, Shrinkage limit) –

By Casagrandes Apparatus
 Modified Proctor Compaction Test
 CBR (California Bearing Ratio) – CBR Test
Based on these tests, the required quantity of the Crumb rubber powder (CRP) for effective
stabilisation of the clay soil was determined.
4.2.1 SPECIFIC GRAVITY TEST:
The specific gravity of solid particles is the ratio of the mass density of solids to that
water.
The specific gravity of a soil sample can be defined as the weight in air of a given
volume of soil particles to the weight in air of an equal volume of distilled water of
about 40°C in temperature. The procedure for its determination involved emptying,
drying and weighing the specific gravity bottle (to give m1) into which 50 g of the soil
sample was introduced and weighed (to give m2).
Water was then added to the sample in the glass jar to 1/3 of its real height and stirred
vigorously till the sample particles were in suspension. This was allowed to stand for
30 minutes before water was added to 2/3 of the glass jar and kept for 24 hours after
which it was filled to the glass jar brim and weighed as (m3). Thereafter, the bottle

content was poured out and cleaned. In addition, the jar was filled with water to the
brim and its resulting weight was determined as (m4). The specific gravity (Gs) was
calculated by using Eq. (1).
Gs = (M2-M1) XK
(M4-M1)-(M3-M2) (1)
Where,
K- density of the kerosene = 0.8 g/cc
Observations table:
MIX M1 M2 M3 M4
PROPORTION
TRAI TRAIL- TRAIL- TRAIL- TRAIL- TRAIL- TRAIL- TRAIL-
L-1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
SOIL+ 0 % CRP 25.38 25.38 53 52.69 82.5 82.35 65.32 65.32
SOIL+ 5 % CRP 25.38 25.41 50.41 51.1 80.08 80.9 65.24 65.24
SOIL+ 10 % CRP 25.38 25.38 49.48 49.3 79.54 79.3 65.24 65.24
SOIL+ 15 % CRP 25.38 25.38 46.4 46.38 77.23 77.26 65.24 65.24
SOIL+ 20 % CRP 25.4 25.4 44.7 44.6 75.36 75.93 65.24 65.24

RESULTS TABLE:
MIX PROPORTION Specific gravity (Gs)
SOIL+ 0 % CRP 2.118
SOIL+ 5 % CRP 2
SOIL+ 10 % CRP 1.945
SOIL+ 15 % CRP 1.865
SOIL+ 20 % CRP 1.789

4.2.2 FREE SWELL INDEX:
o Two samples of dried soil weighing 10gm each and passing through 425µ sieve are
taken.
o One sample 10gms is taken into a 50cc graduated glass cylinder containing kerosene
oil (a non - polar liquid).
o The other sample is taken into similar cylinder containing distilled water.
o Both the samples are left undisturbed for 24hrs then their volume are noted.
o The degree of expansiveness and possible damage to lightly load structures may be
qualitatively assessed from the following table.
F.S.I= (Vω - Vĸ / Vĸ)*100
Where
Vω = volume of soils in water after 24 hrs
Vĸ = volume of soil in kerosene after24hrs
Free swell index Degree of expansiveness
<20 Low
20-35 Moderate
35-50 High
> 50 Very high

Observations and Results table:
PROPORTIONS OF Vd Vk FREESWELL
CRP INDEX
SOIL+ 0% CRP 31 24 29.16%
SOIL+ 5% CRP 30 24 25%
SOIL+10% CRP 29 25 16%
SOIL+15% CRP 28 26 7.69%
SOIL+20% CRP 27 27 0%

4.2.3 PERMEABILITY(The constant head test method):
Permeability (or hydraulic conductivity) refers to the ease with which water can flow
through a soil. This property is necessary for the calculation of seepage through earth
dams or under sheet pile walls, the calculation of the seepage rate from waste storage
facilities (landfills, ponds, etc.), and the calculation of the rate of settlement of clayey
soil deposits.
o Measure the initial mass of the pan along with the dry soil (M1). Remove the cap
and upper chamber of the permeameter by unscrewing the knurled cap nuts and
lifting them off the tie rods. Measure the inside diameter of upper and lower
chambers. Calculate the average inside diameter of the permeameter (D).
o Place one porous stone on the inner support ring in the base of the chamber then
place a filter paper on top of the porous stone (see Photo C).
o Mix the soil with a sufficient quantity of distilled water to prevent the segregation
of particle sizes during placement into the permeameter. Enough water should be
added so that the mixture may flow freely (see Photo B).
o Using a scoop, pour the prepared soil into the lower chamber using a circular
motion to fill it to a depth of 1.5 cm. A uniform layer should be formed.
o Use the tamping device to compact the layer of soil. Use approximately ten rams
of the tamper per layer and provide uniform coverage of the soil surface. Repeat
the compaction procedure until the soil is within 2 cm. of the top of the lower
chamber section (see Photo D).
o Replace the upper chamber section, and don’t forget the rubber gasket that goes
between the chamber sections. Be careful not to disturb the soil that has already
been compacted. Continue the placement operation until the level of the soil is
about 2 cm. below the rim of the upper chamber. Level the top surface of the soil
and place a filter paper and then the upper porous stone on it (see Photo E).
o Place the compression spring on the porous stone and replace the chamber cap and
its sealing gasket. Secure the cap firmly with the cap nuts (see Photo F).

o Measure the sample length at four locations around the circumference of the
permeameter and compute the average length. Record it as the sample length.
o Keep the pan with remaining soil in the drying oven. Adjust the level of the funnel
to allow the constant water level in it to remain a few inches above the top of the
soil.

o Connect the flexible tube from the tail of the funnel to the bottom outlet of the
permeameter and keep the valves on the top of the permeameter open (see Photo
G).
o Place tubing from the top outlet to the sink to collect any water that may come out
(see Photo G).
o Open the bottom valve and allow the water to flow into the permeameter. As soon
as the water begins to flow out of the top control (deairing) valve, close the control
valve, letting water flow out of the outlet for some time.
o Close the bottom outlet valve and disconnect the tubing at the bottom. Connect
the funnel tubing to the top side port (see Photo H).

o Open the bottom outlet valve and raise the funnel to a convenient height to get a
reasonable steady flow of water.
o Allow adequate time for the flow pattern to stabilize (see Photo I). Measure the
time it takes to fill a volume of 750 - 1000 mL using the graduated cylinder, and
then measure the temperature of the water. Repeat this process three times and
compute the average time, average volume, and average temperature. Record the
values as t, Q, and T, respectively (see Photo I).
o Measure the vertical distance between the funnel head level and the chamber
outflow level, and record the distance as h.
o Repeat with different vertical distances. Remove the pan from the drying oven and
measure the final mass of the pan along with the dry soil (M2).
Analysis:
Calculate the permeability, using the following equation:

K = (q*L) / (A*h)
Where:
K = coefficient of permeability at temperature T, cm/sec.
L = length of specimen in centimeters
q = V/T
V=volume of discharge in cm3 (assume 1 mL = 1 cm3)
T= time for discharge in seconds
A = cross-sectional area of permeameter (= 2 D 4 π , D= inside diameter of the

permeameter)
h = hydraulic head difference across length L, in cm of water; or it is equal to
the vertical distance between the constant funnel head level and the chamber
overflow level.

RESULT TABLE:
MIX PROPORTION OF C.R.P PERMEABILITY
SOIL+ 0% CRP 2.446*10-2 mm/sec
SOIL+ 5% CRP 3.332*10-2 mm/sec
SOIL+10% CRP 3.467*10-2 mm/sec

4.2.4 LIQUID LIMIT:

o Take roughly 100 grams of the soil and place it into the porcelain dish. Assume
that the soil was previously passed through a No. 40 sieve, air-dried, and then
pulverized. Thoroughly mix the soil with a small amount of distilled water until it
appears as a smooth uniform paste. Cover the dish with cellophane to prevent
moisture from escaping.
o Weigh four of the empty moisture cans with their lids, and record the respective
weights and can numbers on the data sheet.
o Adjust the liquid limit apparatus by checking the height of drop of the cup. The
point on the cup that comes in contact with the base should rise to a height of 10
mm. The block on the end of the grooving tool is 10 mm high and should be used
as a gage. Practice using the cup and determine the correct rate to rotate the crank
so that the cup drops approximately two times per second.
o Place a portion of the previously mixed soil into the cup of the liquid limit apparatus
at the point where the cup rests on the base. Squeeze the soil down to eliminate air
pockets and spread it into the cup to a depth of about 10 mm at its deepest point.
The soil pat should form an approximately horizontal surface (See Photo B).
o Use the grooving tool carefully cut a clean straight groove down the center of the
cup. The tool should remain perpendicular to the surface of the cup as groove is
being made. Use extreme care to prevent sliding the soil relative to the surface of
the cup (See Photo C).

o Make sure that the base of the apparatus below the cup and the underside of the cup
is clean of soil. Turn the crank of the apparatus at a rate of approximately two drops
per second and count the number of drops, N, it takes to make the two halves of the
soil pat come into contact at the bottom of the groove along a distance of 13 mm
(1/2 in.) (See Photo D). If the number of drops exceeds 50, then go directly to step
eight and do not record the number of drops, otherwise, record the number of drops
on the data sheet.
o Take a sample, using the spatula, from edge to edge of the soil pat. The sample
should include the soil on both sides of where the groove came into contact. Place

the soil into a moisture can cover it. Immediately weigh the moisture can containing
the soil, record its mass, remove the lid, and place the can into the oven. Leave the
moisture can in the oven for at least 16 hours. Place the soil remaining in the cup
into the porcelain dish. Clean and dry the cup on the apparatus and the grooving
tool.
o Remix the entire soil specimen in the porcelain dish. Add a small amount of
distilled water to increase the water content so that the number of drops required to
close the groove decrease.
o Repeat for at least two additional trials producing successively lower numbers of
drops to close the groove. One of the trials shall be for a closure requiring 25 to 35
drops, one for closure between 20 and 30 drops, and one trial for a closure requiring
15 to 25 drops. Determine the water content from each trial by using the same
method used in the first laboratory. Remember to use the same balance for all
weighing.
Analysis:
o Calculate the water content of each of the liquid limit moisture cans after they
have been in the oven for at least 16 hours.
o Plot the number of drops, N, (on the log scale) versus the water content (w).
Draw the best-fit straight line through the plotted points and determine the
liquid limit (LL) as the water content at 25 drops.

GRAPHS:
LIQUID LIMIT @ 0% C.R.P

79
78.5
78
77 (1.399, 76.6)
76
water conten
75 74.72
74
73
71.7
72
71
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
LOg (N)

73.5
73.16
73
72.5 (1.399, 72.3)

water content
72.08
72
71.5 71.38
71
70.35
70.5
70
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Log (N)


52.5
51.92
52
51.5 (1.399, 51.3 )

water content
51
50.7
50.5
50.1
50
49.5
49 48.8
48.5
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2
Log (N)
LIQUID LIMIT @ 15 % C.R.P

59.5
59.05
59
(1.399, 58.7 )
58.5
57.96
58
water content
57.5
57
56.5
56.5
56
55.33
55.5
55
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2
Log (N)

RESULT TABLE:
MIX PROPORTION OF C.R.P LIQUID LIMIT (%)
SOIL+ 0% CRP 76.6%
SOIL+ 5% CRP 72.3%
SOIL+10% CRP 51.3%
SOIL+15% CRP 58.7%
SOIL+20% CRP ------

4.2.5 PLASTIC LIMIT:
o Weigh the remaining empty moisture cans with their lids, and record the respective
weights and can numbers on the data sheet.
o Take the remaining 1/4 of the original soil sample and add distilled water until the soil
is at a consistency where it can be rolled without sticking to the hands.
o Form the soil into an ellipsoidal mass (See Photo F). Roll the mass between the palm
or the fingers and the glass plate (See Photo G). Use sufficient pressure to roll the mass
into a thread of uniform diameter by using about 90 strokes per minute. (A stroke is
one complete motion of the hand forward and back to the starting position.) The thread
shall be deformed so that its diameter reaches 3.2 mm (1/8 in.), taking no more than
two minutes.
o When the diameter of the thread reaches the correct diameter, break the thread into
several pieces. Knead and reform the pieces into ellipsoidal masses and re-roll them.
Continue this alternate rolling, gathering together, kneading and re-rolling until the
thread crumbles under the pressure required for rolling and can no longer be rolled into
a 3.2 mm diameter thread (See Photo H).
o Gather the portions of the crumbled thread together and place the soil into a moisture
can, then cover it. If the can does not contain at least 6 grams of soil, add soil to the
can from the next trial (See Step 6). Immediately weigh the moisture can containing

the soil, record its mass, remove the lid, and place the can into the oven. Leave the
moisture can in the oven for at least 16 hours.
o Repeat at least two more times. Determine the water content from each trial by using
the same method used in the first laboratory. Remember to use the same balance for
all weighing.
Analysis:
o Calculate the water content of each of the plastic limit moisture cans after they have
been in the oven for at least 16 hours.
o Compute the average of the water contents to determine the plastic limit, PL. Check
to see if the difference between the water contents is greater than the acceptable range
of two results (2.6 %).
RESULT TABLE:
MIX PROPORTION PLASTIC LIMIT (%)
SOIL+ 0 % CRP 34.25%
SOIL+ 5 % CRP 35.94%
SOIL+ 10 % CRP 37.13%
SOIL+ 15 % CRP 38.76%
SOIL+ 20 % CRP 39.16%

4.2.6 PLASTICITY INDEX (PI):
The range of water content over which a soil behaves plastically. It is defined as “the
range of consistency with in which the soil exhibit plastic properties”.
Plasticity index = Liquid Limit – Plastic Limit
Calculate the plasticity index, PI=LL-PL. Report the liquid limit, plastic limit, and
plasticity index to the nearest whole number, omitting the percent designation.
MIX PROPORTION PLASTICITY INDEX (PI):
SOIL+ 0 % CRP 42.35%
SOIL+ 5 % CRP 36.36%
SOIL+ 10 % CRP 14.163%
SOIL+ 15 % CRP 19.94%
Plasticity index charts:
Plasticity index chart @ 0% C.R.P

70
65
60
55 L.L < 35 L.L 35 - 50 L.L > 50 42.35
50
plasticity index
45 C.L C.I C.H

40
35
41.318
30
25
20
15
10 O.H or M.H
5 O.L or O.I or M.I
M.L
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90
Liquid limit


70
65
60 L.L < 35 L.L 35 - 50 L.L > 50
55
50 C.L C.I C.H
plasticity index
45 38.179
40
35
30 36.36
25
20
15 O.H or M.H
10
5 O.L or O.I or M.I
M.L
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90
Liquid limit

70
65
60 L.L < 35 L.L 35 - 50 L.L > 50
55
50 C.L C.I C.H
plasticity index
45
40
35 22.849
30
25
20
15 14.163
10
O.I or M.I O.H or M.H
5 O.L or
M.L
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90
Liquid limit


70
65
60 L.L < 35 L.L 35 - 50 L.L > 50
55
50 C.L C.I C.H
plasticity index
45
40
35 28.251
30
25
20
19.94
15
10
5 O.L or O.I or M.I O.H or M.H
M.L
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90
Liquid limit

4.2.7 SHRINKAGE LIMIT:
The shrinkage limit is the water content of the soil when the water is just sufficient to
fill all the pores of the soil and the soil is just saturated. The volume of the soil does not
decrease when the water content is reduced below the shrinkage limit. It can be
determined from the relation
Where,
M1= initial wet mass,
V1= initial volume
MS = dry mass
V2 = volume after drying.
 Take a sample of mass about 100g from a thoroughly mixed soil passing 425 sieve.
 Take about 30g of soil sample in a large evaporating dish. Mix it with distilled water
to make a creamy paste which can be readily worked without entrapping the air
bubbles.
 Take the shrinkage dish. Clean it and determine it’s mass.
 Fill the mercury in the shrinkage dish. Remove the excess mercury by pressing the
plain glass plate over the top of the shrinkage dish. The plate should be flush with the
top of the dish. And no air should be entrapped.
 Transfer the mercury of the shrinkage dish to a mercury weighing dish and determine
the mass of the mercury to an accuracy of 0.1g. The volume of the shrinkage dish is
equal to the mass of mercury in grams divided by the specific gravity of the mercury
(i.e. 13.6)
 Coat the inside of the shrinkage dish with a thin layer of silicon grease or Vaseline.
Place the soil specimen in the centre of the shrinkage dish equal to about one-third the
volume of the shrinkage dish. Tap the shrinkage dish on a firm cushioned surface and
allow the paste to flow to the edges.
 Add more soil and continue the tapping till the shrinkage dish is completely filled and
excess soil paste projects out about its edge. Strike out the top surface of the plate

with a straight edge. Wipe of all soil adhering to the outside of the shrinkage dish.
Determine the mass of the wet soil (M1).
 Dry the soil in the shrinkage dish in air until the colour of the pat turns from dark to
light. Then dry the pat in the oven at 105 to 110 0C to constant mass.
 Cool the dry pat in a desiccator. Remove the dry pat from the desiccator after cooling,
and weight the shrinkage dish with the dry pat to determine the dry mass of the soil
(M2).
 Place a glass cup in a large evaporating dish and fill it with mercury. Remove the
excess mercury by pressing the glass plate with prongs firmly over the top of the cup.
Wipe off any mercury adhering to the outside of the cup. Remove the glass cup full of
mercury and place it in another evaporating dish taking care not to spill any mercury
from the cup.
 Take out the dry pat of the soil from the shrinkage dish and immerse it in the glass
cup full of mercury. Take care not to entrap air under the pat. Press the plate with
prongs on the top of the cup firmly.
 Collect the mercury displaced by the dry pat in the evaporating dish and transfer it to
the mercury weighing dish. Determine the mass of the mercury to an accuracy of
0.1g. The volume of the dry pat (V1) is equal to the mass of the mercury divided by
the specific gravity of the mercury.
 Repeat the test at least 3 times.
RESULT TABLE:
MIX PROPORTION OF C.R.P SHRINKAGE LIMIT
SOIL+ 0% CRP
SOIL+ 5% CRP
SOIL+10% CRP
SOIL+15% CRP
SOIL+20% CRP

4.2.8 COMPACTION TEST:

The relationship between the dry unit weight and moisture content of unreinforced
soil specimens was investigation using the procedure described
This Can done according to IS 2720(part 8). These are two types
 IS Light compaction or Standard proctor test
 IS Heavy compaction or Modified proctor test
In IS light compaction, the compaction mould should be filled with soil in 3 layers,
for each layer 25 blows are given with 2.6kg hammer at a drop of 310mm.
In IS heavy compaction, the compaction mould should be filled with soil in 5 layers,
for each layer we are giving 56 blows with 4.86kg hammer at a drop of 450mm.
MODIFIED PROCTOR COMPACTION TEST:
1. Dry the soil sample by exposing it to air or sun light.
2. Sieve the air dried soil through 19 mm sieve.
3. Add suitable amount of water with the soil and mix it thoroughly. For sandy and gravelly
soil add 3% to 5% of water. For cohesive soil the amount of water to be added should
be 12% to 16% below the plastic limit.
4. Weigh the mould with base plate attached to the nearest 1g. Record this weight as ‘W1’.
5. Attach the extension collar with the mould.
6. Compact the moist soil into the mould in five layers of approximately equal mass, each
layer being given 56 blows, with the help of 4.9 kg rammer, dropped from a height of 450
mm above the soil. The blows must be distributed uniformly over the surface of each layer.
7. After completion of the compaction operation, remove the extension collar and level
carefully the top of the mould by means of straightedge.
8. Weigh the mould with the compacted soil to the nearest 1 g. Record this weight as ‘W2’.
9. After weighing remove the compacted soil from the mould and place it on the mixing tray.
Determine the water content of a representative sample of the specimen. Record the
moisture content as ‘M’.
10. Broken up the remainder of the specimen and repeat step 5 to step 9 by adding suitable
increment of water to the soil. For sandy and gravelly soils the increment in general is 1%
to 2%. For cohesive soils the increment in general is 2% to 4%.

11. The total no. of determinations made shall be at least five, and the moisture contents should
be such that the optimum moisture content, at which the maximum dry density occurs, is
within that range.
 Bulk density, γb in g/cm3 of each compacted specimen is calculated

from the following equation.
γb = (W2-W1)/Vm
Where,
W1 = Weight in g of mould + base plate
W2 = Weight in g of mould + base plate + soil
Vm = Volume of mould i.e. 2250 cm3.
 Dry density, γd in g/cm3 of each compacted specimen is calculated from the following
equation.
γd = 100 γb/(100+M)
Where,
γb = Bulkdensity of soil in g/cm3.
M = Moisture content of soil
GRAPHS
The dry densities, γd , obtained in a series of determinations is plotted against the corresponding
moisture content ‘M’. A smooth curve is then drawn through the resulting points and the
position of the maximum on this curve is determined, which is called maximum dry density
(M.D.D). And the corresponding moisture content is called optimum moisture content
(O.M.C.).

Heavy compaction @ 0% C.R.P

1.35
(23.7 ,1.345)
1.34 1.3435
1.3311
1.33
dry density
1.32
1.3074
1.31
1.3 1.2944
1.2915
1.29
1.28
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
water content

1.26
1.255 1.2518 (21 ,1.253)

1.2495
1.25 1.2466
1.245
dry density
1.2413
1.24
1.235
1.23
1.22395
1.225
1.22
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
water content


1.29
1.28 (18 ,1.275)

1.27
1.2749
1.26
dry density
1.2528 1.2518
1.25
1.24
1.2276
1.23
1.222
1.22
1.21
12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
water content

1.25
(17.6 ,1.2)
1.2
1.1494 1.1902
1.15 1.128
1.115
1.1
dry density
1.05
0.95 0.9259
0.9
0.85
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
water content


1.2
(18 ,1.525)
1.15 1.1525
1.09576
1.1 1.08518
dry density
1.05
1.00974
1
0.95634
0.95
0.9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
water content
RESULT TABLE:
MIX MOISTURE DRY DENSITY

CONTENT (%) (g/cc)
PROPORTION
SOIL+ 0 % CRP 23.7% 1.345 g/cc
SOIL+ 5 % CRP 21% 1.253 g/cc
SOIL+ 10 % CRP 18% 1.275 g/cc
SOIL+ 15 % CRP 17.6% 1.2 g/cc
SOIL+ 20 % CRP 18% 1.1525 g/cc

4.2.9 California bearing ratio (CBR):

The California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test was developed by the California Division of
Highways as a method of classifying and evaluating soil- subgrade and base course
materials for flexible pavements. CBR is a measure of resistance of a material to
penetration of standard plunger under controlled density and moisture conditions. CBR
test may be conducted in remoulded or undisturbed sample. Test consists of causing a
cylindrical plunger of 50mm diameter to penetrate a pavement component material at
1.25mm/minute. The loads for 2.5mm and 5mm are recorded. This load is expressed
as a percentage of standard load value at a respective deformation level to obtain CBR
value.
The California bearing ratio test is conducted for evaluating suitability of the sub grade
and the materials used in sub – base and base of a flexible pavement.
o Take the weight of empty mould

o Keep the spacer disc on the base plate and a filter paper on the disc and fix the mould
to the base plate with the disc inside the mould and the attach the collar over the
mould.
o Add water to the specimen and compact it in accordance to Standard proctor test or
modified proctor test.
o After compaction, remove the collar and level the surface using cutting edge.
o Detach the base pate and remove the spacer disc.
o Take the weight of mould + compacted specimen and determine the bulk density of
the specimen
o Take sample for moisture content determination and hence find the dry density
o Place filter paper on the perforated base plate.
o Fix the mould upside down to the base plate so that surface of the specimen which
was downwards in contact with spacer disc during compaction is now turned upwards
on which the penetration test is to be performed (for unsoaked condition).
o For soaked condition, Fix adjustable stem and perforated plate on the compacted soil
specimen in the mould along with 2.5kg surcharge load

o Place the above set up in the soaking tank for four days (ignore this step in case of
unsoaked CBR).
o After four days, measure the swell reading and find % swell with the help of dial
gauge reading
o Remove the mould from the tank and allow water to drain.
o Then place the specimen under the penetration piston and place total surcharge load
of 4kg (2.5kg during soaking + 1.5 kg during testing)
o The load and deformation gauges shall then be set to zero
o Load shall be applied to the plunger into the soil at the rate of 1.25 mm per minute.
o Reading of the load shall be taken at penetrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 4.0, 5.0,
7.5, 10.0 and 12.5 mm
o Remove the plunger and determine the water content of the soil.
o Plot load versus deformation curve.
CBR = (PENTRATION LOAD) X 100

(STANDARD LOAD)
The CBR value is determined corresponding to both penetration levels. The

greater of these values is used for design of the pavements.
Standard Load Values
Standard
Unit Standard
Penetration(mm) Load(kg)
Load(kg/cm2)
2.5 1370 70
5 2055 105
7.5 2630 134
10.0 3180 162
12.5 3600 183

MIX PROPORTION CBR at 2.5mm CBR at 5mm

OF C.R.P penetration penetration
SOIL+ 0 % CRP 5.109 3.649
SOIL+ 5 % CRP 8.175 7.785
SOIL+ 10 % CRP 8.175 8.759
SOIL+ 15 % CRP 4.963 6.715
SOIL+ 20 % CRP 3.94 4.67

CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
MIX PROPORTION SOIL + SOIL + SOIL + SOIL + SOIL +

0% C.R.P 5% C.R.P 10% 15% 20%
C.R.P C.R.P C.R.P
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 2.118 2 1.945 1.895 1.84
FREE SWEEL INDEX 29.16% 25% 16% 7.69% 0%
PERMEABILITY (mm/sec) 2.446 X 3.6477 X 3.4676 X 3.6477 X 4.338 X

10-2
10-2 10-2 10-2 10-2
LIQUID LIMIT (%) 76.6% 72.3% 51.3% 58.7% -----
PLASTIC LIMIT (%) 34.25% 35.94% 37.13% 38.76% 39.16%
SOIL CLASSIFICATION CH OH or OH or OH or -----

MH MH MH
MODIFIED PROCTOR O.M.C 23.7% 21% 18% 17.6% 18%

COMPACTION TEST (%)
M.D.D 1.345 1.253 1.275 1.2 1.1525

(g/cc)
C.B.R AT 5.109 8.175 8.175 4.963 3.94

2.5mm
AT 3.649 7.785 8.759 6.715 4.67

5mm


CHAPTER 6
REFERENCES
 Gyanen Takhelmayum1, savitha.A.L2, Krishna Gudi (2013) “Experimental Studies on

Soil Stabilization Using Fine and Coarse GGBS ISSN 2250-2459.
 K. Suresh, V. Padmavathi, Apsar Sultana(2009) “ Experimental Study of Stabilization

of black cotton soil by using stone dust and fibres
 Chandra, S., Viladkar M. N. and Nagrale P. (2008) “Performance evaluation of fiber

reinforced soil - fly ash mixtures”, Journal of Transportation Engineering, Vol. 134,
No.1, pp. 1-14
 Gupta P., Saran S. and Mittal R., (2008) "Behaviour of fiber reinforced sand in different
test conditions”, Indian Geotechnical Journal, 2008, pp. 272-282
 Ground Improvement Techniques, December 18, (2008) [online] at

http://www.engineeringcivil.com
 Consoli, N. C., Prietto, P. D. M. and Ulbrich, L. A. (1999). ‘‘The behaviour of a fibre-

reinforced cemented soil.’ Ground Improvement, London, 3(1), 21–30.
 Chen, F.H. (1988). “Foundations on Expansive Soils”, Elsevier Scientific Publishing

Co., Amsterdam.
 Freitag, D. R., (1986) “Soil randomly reinforced with fibers”, Journal of Geotechnical
Engineering, ASCE Vol. 112 (8), pp. 823–826

Stabilization of Black Cotton Soil

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STABILIZATION OF EXPANSIVE SOIL BY USING CRUMB RUBBER POWDER

Figure1: Map of India showing Black Cotton & other soils

1.2 Description of Expansive Soil

Figure 2: montmorillonite clay mineral

Soil is defined as sediments or other accumulation of mineral particles produced by the

material whose engineering behaviour is influenced by changes on moisture content and

1.2.1 Identifying Expansive Soil

1.2.2 Swell - Shrink Behaviour

1.2.3 Factors Influencing Swelling

These factors are summarized below:

A. Soil Properties Influencing Swell Potential

B. Environmental Factors Affecting Swell Potential

• Drainage: Surface drainage features, such as ponding around a poorly graded

C. Stress Conditions Affecting Swell Potential

1.3 Damage to Structures from Expansive Soil

Figure 5: Residential driveway damaged by expansive soil

Figure 6: Structural damage to house caused by ‘end lift’

Figure 7: Cracks in exterior walls, as a result of upward soil expansion

Figure 8: Major cracks in exterior walls at doors and windows

1.4 Control the Swell-Shrink Behaviour

Control the shrink-swell behavior through the following alternatives:

 Replace existing expansive soil with non-expansive soil

 Maintain constant moisture content

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 10 | P a g e

iii. Plumbing line leaks: repair the leaks.

b. Decreased moisture content

 Improve the expansive soils by stabilization

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 11 | P a g e

1.5 Soil Stabilization:

(b) Modification of the properties with the help of admixture.

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 12 | P a g e

1.6 Need for Present Study:

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 13 | P a g e

1.7 OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE OF THE WORK:

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2.2 Review of soil stabilization research

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[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 16 | P a g e

MATERIAL & METHODOLOGY

3.1.1 Expansive soil:

3.1.2 Crumb Rubber Powder (CRP):

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 17 | P a g e

Figure 9: Crumb Rubber Powder (CRP)

3.2.1 SOIL PROPERTIES

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 18 | P a g e

3.2.2 INDEX PROPERTIES:

o Shrinkage limit: - It is defined as the maximum water content at which a reduction

3.2.3 Engineering Properties of black cotton Soil:

Permeability: The permeability is defined as the property of a porous material which

Plasticity: It is defined as the property of a soil which allows it to be deformed rapidly,

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 19 | P a g e

Compaction: Compaction is a process by which the soil particles artificially rearrange

Compressibility: The property of soil mass pertaining to its susceptibility to decrease

Shear Strength: This is the resistance to deformation by continuous shear displacement

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 20 | P a g e

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY & RESULTS

4.1 PREPARING OF SOIL:

[Department of CIVIL Engineering, St.Ann’s College of Engineering & Technology :: CHIRALA ] 21 | P a g e