SOME BASIC GEOTECHNICAL PROPERTIES OF

EXPANSIVE SOIL MODIFIED USING

PYROCLASTIC DUST

TERM PAPER

Submitted By
Soumya Prakash Sahoo
Regd No:-514CE1011
PhD Scholar

1.0 INTRODUCTION
Expansive soils denote clayey soils that not only possess the tendency to swell or increase
in volume but also to shrink or decrease in volume when the prevailing moisture condition is
allowed to fluctuate. Such fluctuation or alteration of moisture content of these soils can emanate
from rains, floods, leakage of sewer lines, or from the reduction of surface evaporation due to
placement of geotechnical structures. The response of expansive soils in the form of swelling and
shrinkage due to changes in water content is frequently expressed superficially as heaving and
settlement of lightly loaded geotechnical structures such as pavements, railways, roadways,
foundations and channel or reservoir linings. Even when mitigating measures such as drain
systems have been provided to prevent these soils from reacting to changes in their moisture
condition, the soils still exhibit inherent low shear strength and undergo large secondary
compression. In spite of these obvious known problems, many geotechnical and geo
environmental engineering structures are founded on them. Perhaps the main reasons for their
inevitable use are their prevalence. To combat these challenges, some geotechnical engineers
decide to design to accommodate the potential problem, some opt to excavate and replace the
entire soil while some opt to improve the geotechnical properties of the soil. These options are
ultimately constrained by project cost. The third option informed the present study for the
construction of a 20 km highway underlain by expansive soil in South-eastern Nigeria.
Improvement of geotechnical properties of poor construction materials such as expansive soils
has been achieved in many places using soil additives. Among these additives are lime, cement,
rice husk ash, asphalt, limestone ash etc.
This paper presents the influence of pyroclastic rock dust on some basic geotechnical
properties of expansive clay soil. The properties investigated include Atterberg limits,
compaction, California bearing ratio, and strength. The behavior of these properties with varying
proportion of the rock dust was used to assess the effectiveness or otherwise of pyroclastic rock
dust in improving the geotechnical properties of expansive soils.

2.0 RESEARCH MATERIALS

The materials used for this investigation were pyroclastic rock dust and expansive clay
soil. The pyroclastic rock dust was sourced from quarry sites located at Ezza and Abakaliki area
of southeastern Nigeria. The rock dust is an industrial by-product of quarries exploiting the light
to dark grey lapilli, tufts and lapillistones of basaltic composition. The rocks consist of a compact
chaotic mixture of Engineering Geology.

unsorted angular to sub-angular lithic fragments (shale, limestone, mudstone and siltstone) and
amygdaloidal scoria and pumice set in a highly altered basaltic groundmass. The primary
mineralogy comprises of pyroxene that has been mostly replaced by chlorite and calcicplagioclase crystallized and altered to albite, carbonate and epiolite. Iron, apatite and titanium
oxides are necessary accessory minerals. The rock matrix is made up of altered,petrified glass,
plagioclase, chlorite and secondary carbonate. The chemical composition of the rock as obtained
from two independent analysis is shown in Table 1. The pyroclastic rocks trend northeast
southwest and are surrounded by the Abakaliki shale of Mid-Abian age.
The expansive clay soils are residual soils that develop consequent upon mechanical
disintegration and chemical decay of the Abakaliki shales or as transported material derived from
the same preexisting residual soil. The clay samples were collected from pits excavated to depths
in excess of 20 cm to expose fresh samples devoid of vegetation and possibly, weathering

influences. The profiles from which the clay samples were collected consist of thick uniform soil
generally mottled milky to brownish in colour.
3.0 LABORATORY PROCEDURE
The fraction of pyroclastic rock dust used for the tests was that passing the BS sieve 63
m. The soil sampleswere thoroughly mixed in the laboratory and the process of quartering was
used to get representative samples for the tests. The resulting soil heap was divided into four
different portions and 0%, 4%, 8%, and 12% by weight of the pyroclastic rock dust, respectively,
were added and blended with each portion. The following tests; Atterberg limits,
compaction,California bearing ratio (CBR) and shear strength were carried out on the natural
(0% pyroclastic rock dust content) and treated soil samples.The tests were generally performed
in accordance with the procedure outlined in BS1377 (1975). In addition to this standard,
modified AASHTO standard (1986) was also used for compaction and CBR tests.
4.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Atterberg limits
The results of the Atterberg limits and linear shrinkage tests on the soil samples in natural
state and when mixed with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock dust are shown graphically in
Fig.1.

Fig.1. Atterberg limits and linear shrinkage of the clays mixed with varying percentages of
pyroclastic rock dust

From the results, there is a decrease in both liquid and plastic limit with increasing
pyroclastic rock dust content. The plasticity index and linear shrinkage also show decreasing
trends. The reduction of each of these properties is obviously a change in water content due to
increase in pyroclastic rock dust content. It is opined that the pyroclastic rock dust particles coat
the clay clast, binding them together and filling the clay matrix, thus reducing the voids and
water contained therein. The implication of these reductions in the plasticity properties of the soil
with increasing amount of pyroclastic rock dust is that the soil becomes friable and workability is
improved.These reductions in water content are quite similar to those obtained by workers on
soillime mixtures

explained that cation exchange reaction, flocculation of clay particles,

agglomeration and pozzolanic processes are the major physiochemical mechanisms responsible
for the improvement in the engineering properties of soils when treated with lime and water.
From the chemical composition of pyroclastic rock dust, the constituent calcium oxide and silica
will react with water present in the clay soil in agreement with the following reactions.

The first two reactions take place rapidly and produce immediate change in plasticity,
workability and swell properties. This brings about an increase in sand-sized particles of the soil,
an alteration on the effect of clay minerals and reduction in water absorption rate.
4.2. Compaction characteristics
Results of the compaction tests yielded values for the maximum dry density (MDD) and
optimum moisture content (OMC) in the natural and mixed states of the clay samples. The
maximum dry density and optimum moisture content values at different pyroclastic rock dust
contents and different compaction standards are illustrated graphically in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2. Variation of maximum dry density (MDD) with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock
dust

Fig. 3. Variation of optimum moisture content (OMC) with varying percentages of pyroclastic
rock dust.

The figures show that in the different compaction standards used, the addition of
pyroclastic rock dust caused an increase in MDD and OMC up to 8% pyroclastic rock dust
content, thereafter, the MDD and OMC decreased. Generally, higher dry densities and lower
moisture contents were achieved for compaction standard with higher compactive effort
(compactive energy 594 kJ/m3 for BS and 2693 kJ/m3 for modified AASHTO standards). The
higher value of dry density and lower value of the moisture content obtained from compaction
standard with higher compactive effort (modified AASHTO) can be understood from the fact
that the increase in compactive effort will result to more densification and therefore higher dry
density and lower moisture content.
The result is consistent with those of other workers who used lime and lime-like
admixtures with lateritic and other fine grained soils. The initial increase in MDD is thought to
result from the higher density of the pyroclastic rock dust particles introduced into the soil when
compared with the density of the clay particles. A reaction between clay minerals present in the
soil and calcium oxide (lime) present in the pyroclastic dust is probably responsible for the
increase in OMC as pyroclastic rock dust content increased. Akoto and Singh (1980) explained
that such reaction would cause more water to be needed for mobilization of Ca2+ from calcium
oxide for the reaction (cation exchange reaction) to continue.
4.3 California bearing ratio (CBR)
The results obtained from CBR tests for soaked and unsoaked samples using BS and
AASHTO compaction standards at various percentages of pyroclastic rock dust mixtures and
different curing days are presented in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. From Fig. 4 , it can be seen that the
CBR values at 4% and 8% pyroclastic rock dust content show consistent increase with increase
in the days of curing up to 7 curing days, thereafter the CBR value decreased. In contrast, the
CBR values at 12% pyroclastic rock dust contents show consistent decrease with increasing
number of curing days. At higher compactive effort (modified AASHTO, Fig. 5), the CBR
values at 4% and 8% pyroclastic rock dust content continued to increase with increasing days of
curing and attained optimum at 7 days of curing. However, the CBR values at 12% pyroclastic
rock dust contents decreased with the increasing curing days. For the soaked condition (Figs. 6

and 7), similar trends were observed with a decrease in numerical values of CBR for the samples
tested at BS standard (compare Figs. 4 and 6).

Fig. 4. CBR values of the clays mixed with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock dust (BS
UNSOAKED).

Fig. 5. CBR values of the clays mixed with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock dust
(modified AASHTO UNSOAKED).

Fig. 6. CBR values of the clays mixed with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock dust (BS
SOAKED).

Fig. 7. CBR values of the clays mixed with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock dust
(modified AASHTO SOAKED).
For the unsoaked samples compacted at BS compaction standard (see Fig. 4 at 0 curing day), it is
interesting to note that optimum CBR value was reached at about 8% pyroclastic rock dust
content. Other authors working on soilrock dust mixtures have obtained similar results.
Okagbue and Onyeobi (1999) for example worked with red tropical
soil and marble dust and observed that the geotechnical properties of red tropical soils are
improved substantially by the addition of marble dust.
Optimum CBR values of mixtures have been reported by authors including Thompson
(1965), Anifowose (1989), and Osula (1991) working on soillime mixture and have been
related to the lime fixation point. Each of these authors reported a 3% optimum for lime. These
reported results compared with the present result imply that more than double the amount of
pyroclastic rock dust is required to achieve the same soil modification as when lime is used. It is
also evident from Fig. 4 that after 8% optimum, more addition of pyroclastic rock dust decreased
the bearing capacity. Bell (1993) reported that strength does not increase linearly with lime
content and in fact, excessive addition of lime reduces strength. This appears to be the case with
the use of pyroclastic dust.
Various explanations have been put forward for the improvement of the CBR values.
Diamond and Kinter (1965) postulated that the mechanism responsible is the formation of bonds
of tetracalcium alumina hydrate and possibly silicate hydrate, which link the clay particle
together. They suggested that this is as a result of an immediate reaction between the alumina
bearing edges of the clay particles and lime absorbed on the surface of adjacent particles.
Newbauer and Thompson (1972) attributed it to the immediate cation exchange and flocculation
and agglomeration reactions that take place. Van Ganse (1974) considered improvement to be
due to the formation of crumbs of soil, which retain their individuality when the limesoil
mixture is kneaded and compacted to form insoluble calcium silicate and/or alumina which
harden subsequently. The formation of bonds of calcium alumina hydrate and silicate hydrate
may well be responsible for the increase in the CBR values when pyroclastic rock dust is added
to clay soil. As expected, the unsoaked CBR values are higher than the soaked CBR values,
suggesting that although the bearing capacity of the clay soil is improved with the addition of

pyroclastic rock dust, the improved soil must be properly water proofed to serve effectively in
engineering construction.

4.4. Shear strength

The results of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests on the clay soil at varying
percentages of pyroclastic rock dust are shown graphically in Fig.8 from which it is evident that
the strength of the clay soil increased with increase in pyroclastic rock dust content.

Fig. 8. Variation of shear strength (kPa) with varying percentages of pyroclastic rock dust
Other workers using lime additive have shown similar result. AL-Rawi and Award
(1981) noted that this increase is due to the increased production of gelatinous cementing agents
with lime, which occupy an increasing amount of void space and eventually harden. They
observed that clay soil mixed with lowlime content attains maximum strength in less time than
that to which a higher content of lime has been added. Bell (1993) noted that strength does not
increase linearly with lime content and in fact excessive addition of lime reduces strength.
According to him, beyond optimum lime content, the UCS can decline significantly and at a time
the decrease may exceed 40%. Ola (1977) reported that the increase in strength may be due to
bonding agents which cement particles to form large aggregates, making the soil to behave as a
coarse-grained, strongly bonded particulate matter. Because pozzolanic reaction is not reversible,
no more cementation reaction takes place when the added modifier is in excess of optimum.

5.0 CONSLUSION
From the results of the present study, pyroclastic rock dust can be said to be a good
stabilizer of expansive clay soil. The trend of results obtained with it is similar to those obtained
when lime is used as a soil stabilizer. There is reduction in soil plasticity and linear shrinkage
when blended with pyroclastic rock dust. The pyroclastic rock dust coats and binds the clay
clasts together and fills the voids in the clay. This brings an increase in soil aggregation,
alteration of the effect of clay minerals and reduction in water absorption, hence improvement in
swelling properties and in the workability of the soil. Compaction results show that both
maximum dry density increased and optimum water content increased with increased pyroclastic
rock dust content. This is attributed to aggregation and flocculation of particles resulting from
reactions between rock dust and clay. There is substantial improvement in the shear strength of
the clay soil as pyroclastic rock dust content increases. Optimum CBR values are obtained with
the addition of up to 8% pyroclastic rock dust content. In southeastern Nigeria where these rock
dusts are produced in very large quantities, their use as soil stabilizer in highway construction is
surely a positive welcome development. In addition to already being available in large quantities,
and being considerably less expensive than Portland cement and lime, their use will eliminate the
unaesthetic sight of their heaps and reduce the environmental hazards posed by those heaps.
6.0 REFERENCES

Robert Brooks, Felix F. Udoeyo and Keerthi V. Takkalapelli.,2011 A Geotechnical

Properties of Problem Soils Stabilized With Fly Ash and Limestone Dust in Philadelphia.
Journals of Materials in Civil Engineering.

Ezekwesili Ene, Celestine Okagbue., 2009. Some Basic Geotechnical Properties Of

Expansive Soil Modified Using Pyroclastic Dust. Engineering Geology 107, 61-65.

Dr. Akshaya Kumar Sabat., 2012. A Study on Some Geotechnical Properties of Lime
Stabilised Expansive Soil Quarry Dust Mixes. International Journal of Emerging trends
in Engineering and Development Issue 2, Vol.1 ( January-2012).