Comparative measurement of compaction impact of clay stabilized with cement, peat ash and silica sand

Abstract

This paper concentrates on measuring the compact ability of Taman Wetland clay stabilized with cement, peat ash and silica sand. The organic content of peat makes it a problematic basement soil for highway construction. Such problem can be solved by removing and incinerating the peat for generating peat ash which is applicable for stabilization of the compacted clay. Compaction tests were conducted on both untreated and stabilized clay specimens. The mix designs from the compaction tests were applied on stabilized clay specimens for testing using direct shear apparatus. A feasible mix design can be developed by partially replacing the cement with 1.5% peat ash in the test specimens. Test specimen with the mix design has the highest cohesion of 133 kPa as compared to those of test specimens with other mix designs under study. Such cohesiveness is attributable to the formation of cementation crystals which effectively clogged the pore spaces of the stabilized clay. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd