STABILIZATION OF MARSHY SOIL WITH VARIOUS ADDITIVES

AND USING IT AS A BUILDING MATERIAL

Synopsis of the Project to be submitted in the Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the award of degree of

Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering

By
Amit Kumar Baroi
Shibajee Sutar
Rudhra Halder
Under the Supervision of

Asst. Professor B. Ravi

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Institute

of Technology, Port Blair
Affiliated to
Pondicherry University, Pondicherry
April, 2013

1. INTRODUCTION
A hundred years ago, there were a lot of forests, which were our main material resources for
building constructions. However, nowadays our forests are almost gone, and woods for
constructions are rare. This is because of rapidly increasing population and their dwelling
demand. Earthen building has evolved with mankind and creates housing opportunities
world-wide. In developing countries, earth construction is economically the most efficient

means for house construction with the least demand of resources. Sometimes the soil
available for construction, lack the engineering properties like low strength or stability. In
order to improve these properties stabilization is carried out. Stabilization incorporates the
various methods employed for modifying the properties of a soil to improve its engineering
performance. Stabilization is being used for a variety of engineering works, the most
common application being in the construction of road and air-field pavements, where the
main objective is to increase the strength or stability of soil and to reduce the construction
cost by making best use of the locally available material.
This paper is the review of the uses of the burnt bricks and stabilized earth blocks and to
establish a comparison between their compressive strengths, advantages and their uses.
Moreover the soil sample which is used for earth blocks was the soil from marshy land in
which sewage water gets accumulated. The motive of the project was also to use soil from
such land, and find its suitability in construction. Although stabilized earth blocks to be used
as a construction material are unknown to most people, so there is a need to know its uses
and advantages as an environment friendly building material.

2. LITERATURE SURVEY
2.1 Expansive Soil Stabilization Using Marble Dust

In this study, Vinay Agrawal et. al. (2011) [1] describes the potential of marble dust as
stabilizing additive to expansive soil and its evaluation. The evaluation involves the
determination of the swelling potential of expansive soil in its natural state as well as
when mixed with varying proportion of marble dust (from 0 to 30%).

2.2 Evaluation of Strength Characteristics of Clayey Soil by Adding Soil

Stabilizing Additives

In this study, Sen Purbi et. al. (2011) [2] reviews the effects of various locally available
stabilizing agents like Ordinary Portland Cement, Lime, Fly ash for strength
improvement in soil. The unconfined compression test (UCC) and Atterberg limits of the

soil with different percentage of additives were determined separately after curing
specimens for 7 days.
2.3 Soil Property Criteria for Rammed Earth Stabilization

In this study, Burroughs Steve et. al. (2008) [3] relates value ranges of natural soil
properties plasticity, texture, and shrinkage" to the degree of predisposition of soils

to

stabilization for rammed earth wall construction. A total of 219 strength determinations
were made on 104 soils compacted and stabilized with cement and/or lime and/or asphalt.
2.4 A review on bricks and stabilized compressed earth blocks

In this paper, Sadek Deboucha et. al. (2011) [4] is a review of the state of uses of clay
bricks and stabilized compressed earth blocks. It offers an overview of the world general
building using clay bricks or stabilized compressed earth blocks
2.5 Study of stabilized mud block as an alternative building material and
development of models

In this paper, Habtemariam molla et. al. (2012) [5] speaks the effect of the proportion
between the soil and the stabilizers (such as cement and straw fiber) on stabilized earth
blocks durability. It also compares mechanical properties (compressive strength and
shrinkage) of stabilized earth blocks which are prepared using only local soils and with
the addition of stabilizers (cement and straw fiber).
2.6 A Proposed Best Practice Method of Defining a Standard of Care for
Stabilized Compressed Earthen Block Production

In this paper, Krosnowski Adam Davis et. al. (2011) [6] reviews about the contribution to
the growing field of alternative building design. Proposing a formal testing methodology
or matrix for establishing a successful earthen block project.

3. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK

The objectives derived for the study during the project were to:

a) To evaluate the property and suitability of semi marshy soil before stabilization
by various laboratory tests.
b) To investigate the mix proportion of various additives, such as soil-cement ratio, soillime ratio, soil-sand ratio and water content.
c) To develop the mathematical equation for the experimental results for maximum dry
density (MDD), percentages of various additives and optimum moisture content
(OMC).
d) To use the marshy soil as building material by making the earth block with different
proportions of additive.
e) To compare the compressive strength between the burnt bricks and the stabilized earth
blocks.
f) To compare the water absorption of the compressed earth block with different
additives.
g) To carry out cost benefit analysis of the blocks.
Thus the scope of work to achieve the above objectives included:
a) To locate the marshy land inside the campus.
b) Sample collection and preservation.
c) To carry out literature survey on the practical methods for soil testing and making of
clay bricks and compressed earth blocks.
d) To carry out Proctor Compaction test for various amount of admixture.
e) To study experimentally the effect of altering variables such as: cement, lime, sand
content and water content on the properties and performance of stabilized earth blocks.
f) Finding the compressive strengths and water absorption of clay bricks and earth
blocks.

4. DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK

This work begins with explanation of the importance of the project (identify the problem)
and literature review, followed by objectives and scope of the work.

START

COLLECTION OF THE SAMPLE AND

PRESERVATION

TEST FOR THE INDEX PROPERTIES

COLLECTION OF MATERIAL

OPC

LIME

SAND

EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM FOR VARIOUS MIX

RESULTS OF THE MIX FOR OMC & MDD ARE USED

FOR THE CLAY BRICKS & EARTH BLOCKS

CASTING OF THE STABILIZED BLOCKS FOLLOWED

BY FIRING AND SUN DRYING

RESULT FOR COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH AND

WATER ABSORPTION

COMPARISION AND COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS

CONCLUSION

END

This was a general methodology developed for project work. Nearly 100kg of soil was
excavated from the site and was kept for air drying. The soil after drying is crushed and
sieved through 2mm sieve for making of the blocks. The various proportions of additives
(lime, cement, sand) are added as per the percentages of additives obtained with MDD and
OMC from Proctor Compaction test. The mix was casted into earth blocks using the earth
compressive machine. One set was burnt bricks (excluding cement and lime) and other set
was the sun dried. Both the set of samples were set for compressive test, water absorption
and cost analysis was done for the blocks.

5. CONCLUSION
According to the analysis and findings the following conclusions are drawn:
1. With the increase in sand and cement MDD of soil increases where OMC decreases.
2. Up to 8% addition of lime to soil MDD of soil increases where as OMC of soil further
decreases.
3. The optimum content for lime is 8%, for cement is 8% and for sand is 30% at
8.8%,10.7% and 7.3% of OMC respectively based on density.
4. Out of the three additives compared in this study lime is found to be most suitable and
cost effective.
5. Based on the results of MDD and OMC obtained from Proctor Compaction test, the
soil proportions with additives were made.
6. After casting of the bricks (normal soil and soil sand mix) they were burnt in the barrel
kiln for 3 days.
7. After burning compressive strengths of the burnt bricks were found.
8. Compressive strengths for brick without any additive is 10.022N/mm and for soil
sand mix is 4.84N/mm.
9. Similarly soil mix was casted for the compressed earth bock and kept for drying.
10. The soil cement mix was kept for curing for 28 days.

6. REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]

Agrawal Vinay , Expansive Soil Stabilization Using Marble Dust, International Journal of Earth
Sciences and Engineering, ISSN 0974-5904, Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011
Sen Purbi, Mukesh, Dixit Mahabir, Evaluation of Strength Characteristics of Clayey Soil by Adding
Soil Stabilizing Additives, International Journal of Earth Sciences and Engineering, ISSN 0974-5904,
Volume 04, No 06 SPL, October 2011.
Burroughs Steve, Soil Property Criteria for Rammed Earth Stabilization, Journal of Materials in Civil
Engineering, Vol. 20, No. 3, March 1, 2008.
Sadek Deboucha and Roslan Hashim A review on bricks and stabilized compressed earth blocks
Scientific Research and Essays Vol. 6(3), pp. 499-506, 4 February, 2011.
Habtemariam molla Study of stabilized mud block as an alternative building material and development
of models School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa University, Jan 2012
Krosnowski Adam Davis A Proposed Best Practice Method of Defining a Standard of Care for
Stabilized Compressed Earthen Block Production University of Colorado at Boulder Department of
Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, April 2011.
Indian Standard , Methods of test for soils , Preparation of dry soil samples for various tests
( Second Revision ), IS : 2720 ( Part 1) - 1983
Indian Standard , Methods of test for soils , Determination of water content-dry density relation
using light compaction (Second Revision), IS : 2720 ( Part 7) - 1980

[9]

Indian Standard , Common burnt clay building bricks- specifications (Fifth Revision), IS : 1077
1992
[10] Indian Standard, Specification for soil based blocks used in general building construction (First
Revision), IS : 1725 1982
[11] Josh Kearns A simple barrel kiln for household charcoal production www.aqsolutions.org, 2008/09