Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Public Works Department, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
2
Department of Public Works, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Abstract
Organic soils are known for their low shear strength and high compressibility, making them unstable and unsuitable for supporting foundations with instability problems such as local sinking, development of slip failure, excessive settlement, and bearing capacity failure. Thus, such soils need improvement prior to construction to suit the infrastructure projects. Several improvement techniques are available depending on the thickness of the organic deposit, type, and characteristics. The stabilization technique is one method that is considered economical, functional, and environmentally friendly; it is the process of changing the chemical properties of soil by adding stabilizers in wet or dry conditions such as lime, fly ash, cement, sawdust, or sawdust ash to increase the shear strength, decrease the compressibility and permeability of the soil. In the current study, an experimental effort investigates the effect of mixing sawdust with highly organic clays. In the presence of moisture, sawdust, widely available and economical, reacts chemically, forming cementations compounds that improve soils' strength and compressibility properties. Highly organic clay samples from Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, were mixed with 5 % cement and varying percentages of sawdust by weight. Samples are cured for seven days before conducting shear strength and compressibility tests. The tests include laboratory shear vane, direct shear, and one-dimensional oedometer tests. The results provide insight into the use of sawdust in improving the strength and deformation properties of the tested organic clay.
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