Keywords

1 Introduction

Increasing environmental challenges and tighter budgets are facing engineers in both the public and commercial sectors. Costs associated with traditional road construction techniques are rising and building and maintaining roads is more expensive in developing countries. There are fewer soil aggregates, such as gravel, available for building road bases, and the expense of transporting these resources for road construction has increased dramatically. In locations where traditional aesthetics are desired, the use of existing soil in road construction not only lowers costs but also contributes to preserving the natural beauty of unpaved roads. A significant decrease in construction costs is maintained by using stabilisation-treated soils for the construction of road pavement. Clay minerals found in expansive soils can absorb water, increasing its volume. But during the dry season, it contracts and develops fissures that let water seep through deeply when the weather is moist [1]. Expansive soil problems lead to cracks and crumbling in the pavement, embankments, building foundations, and other structures [2,3,4,5]. Pavements deteriorate due to the properties that soils cohabit. Some researchers have examined the level of damage brought about by this alternative swell behavior of soil, and various strategies for enhancing this condition for appropriate construction have also been considered. Although the application of beach sand and waste ceramic dust to improve mangrove soil conditions suitable for pavement design has not been explored, the project’s success will not only close the gap in the knowledge base by providing a new source of construction materials for road design and projects, which will lower construction costs, but it will also address waste management issues about waste ceramics. According to [6], the tile industry produces over thirty percent of its waste each day, which is disposed of, polluting the air, water, and soil. The goal of this study is to determine whether the properties of expansive soil—such as its index properties, compaction properties, MDD, UCS, soaked and unsoaked CBR, shear strength parameters, and swelling pressure—can be improved by using and waste ceramic dust for stabilizing expansive soil [7].

2 Methodologies

2.1 Materials

Expansive Soil. The soil employed in this study is called expansive soil, and it was collected 1.5 m below the surface of the land at Yenagoa, Yenagoa L G A, Bayelsa State. The BS1377 (1990) code of practice is used to determine the index and engineering parameters of Expansive soil. The soil around mangroves has a comparatively high moisture content. Therefore, to provide the appropriate moisture and improved cohesiveness to create a cementing action that functions as a waterproofing material, soil stabilising agents are used.

Waste Ceramics Dust (Tiles Waste).Ceramic tile is recognized as a crystalline, inorganic, non-metallic substance. Kermos, which translates to “potter’s clay,” is where the word “ceramic” originated. History demonstrates that in the beginning, ceramics were created by people. Clay-based things were either created entirely of clay or by combining it with other substances like silica, porcelain, and brick. To produce a smooth, long-lasting, and corrosion-free product, later ceramics were hardened at temperatures between 1,600 and 1,800 degrees Celsius. Clay minerals, including feldspar, that are extracted from the earth’s crust make up ceramics. When tile debris is utilised to stabilise soil, it might be a significant issue to dispose of. It is crushed by hand until it passes through a 90-micron filter and is then mixed with soil. The majority of the tile wastes are made up of 59.12% silica and 1.60% CaO [8]. Additionally, waste generated during the ceramics production process is waste ceramic dust. An estimate indicates that every day, thirty percent of useless tiles are created. These wastes pollute our water, air, and land when they are disposed of in the environment.

Portland Cement. Portland limestone cement under the Dangote brand was bought from a Yenagoa building materials vendor, which meets. [9, 10]. Portland limestone cement is a hydraulic cement that forms a waterproof composite by solidifying in water.

Water.The use of potable water in construction is frequently permitted. Presumably, the water utilised in this study’s studies is safe to drink and devoid of any dangerous impurities.

2.2 Methods

Physicochemical Assets of Cement, Waste Ceramic Dust, and Expansive Soil.The physicochemical characteristics of the soil from black cotton, WCD, and cement were examined. To evaluate the average particle sizes and particle absorbance of the soil, tests were conducted to determine its important constituents in conjunction with cement and WCD. The following test (BS1377–1, 1990) was conducted using the UV/VIS Spectrophotometer instrument; the results are shown in Table 1 (Tables 2 and 3).

Table 1. Physicochemical Asset of Soil and Treatment Agents
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Table 2. Comparison of OMC and MDD against Percentage Replacement
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Table 3. Effect of WCD and PLC on Compressibility Characteristics of Expansive Soil
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Mix Proportion. The expansive soil was combined with varying proportions of WCD (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%), and it was then put through a series of tests, including a wet and dry grain size analysis test, specific gravity, liquid limit, plastic limit, Proctor compaction, CBR, UCS, and indirect tensile strength tests. After mixing, the Atterberg limit tests were conducted both instantly and 24 h later. Furthermore, the Un-soaked conditioning test for the CBR test was conducted right after mixing, and the Soaked condition was tested three days later.

Index Properties. Every laboratory examination and method, such as [11,12,13,14], was carried out in compliance with the standard operating procedures specified in the applicable Codes. Furthermore, a comprehensive examination of the components employed was carried out and documented.

CBR Tests. To make different CBR samples, the collected coastal soil was dried, homogenized, sieved, and combined with WCD. The CBR measurements at various WCD percentages (2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%) were obtained in both wet and dry situations.

Compaction Tests. The MDD and optimal moisture levels of the expansive marine clay were assessed using the standard heavy compaction test, which varied the amount of WCD added. OMC and MDD were evaluated for every test.

3 Result and Discussion

3.1 The Soaked/Unsoaked

The CBR test findings (Fig. 1) for the soil show that, as a result of the higher percentages of both cement and WCD, the soaked CBR value is lower than the unsoaked CBR values. At 0% replacement, CBR values drop from 9.3% (unsoaked) to 2.60% (soaked) to 10.75% (unsoaked) to 6.12%, 11.55% to 7.75%, 13.82% to 9.55%, and (soaked) 16.77% to 11.52% (unsoaked) at 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10% replacements, in that order. The CBR value for 0% replacement (100% expansive soil) is 9.3%, as shown in the graph (Fig. 2) which compares the CBR values of wet and dry soil. Nonetheless, a steady rise was observed between 2.5 and 10% in contrast to 0% replacement.

Fig. 1.
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CBR Test Result for WCD Stabilized Expansive Soil

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3.2 Compaction Test

The OMC and MDD variations are depicted in the above Fig. The greatest OMC of 17.9 was obtained at a matching MDD of 1.62 gm/ml at 0% to 10% substitution of cement plus CD. Such behavior results from the substitution of low-specific-gravity soil particles for WCD (2.68).

Fig. 2.
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OMC/MDD Curve for WCD Stabilized Expansive Soil

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3.3 One-Dimensional Consolidation Test

The Oedometer test is intended to replicate the drainage conditions and one-dimensional deformation that soils encounter in real-world scenarios. Loads are transferred from the beam to the column and down to the foundations when constructions are built on the subgrade. Load impacts on the soil often reach a depth of two to three times the foundation’s breadth. The forces placed on the soil at this distance cause it to become compacted. The reduction in volume of the mass caused by the compaction of the soil mass results in the settling of the structure.

By adding up the movements of individual mass components brought on by strains arising from alterations in the stress system, it is possible to rationally ascertain the movements that emerge at any given border of the soil mass. The time-dependent or virtually immediate firmness of the soil mass resulting from induced pressures can be determined by the permeability characteristics of the soil. At 22.2, 44.20, and 66.61 KN/m2 vertical pressure, the void ratio was 1.187, 1.142, and 0.951, in that order. The void ratio of the stabilized marine clay sol falls for all percentages as WCD and PLC percentages rise, creating a high parking structure that strengthens the soil. Figure 3. 4.24 above depicts the impact of WCD and PLC on stabilized marine clay. The soil’s response to a change in effective stress in the field is predicted using the data from the One-Dimensional Consolidation experiments.

Fig. 3.
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Consolidation Curve

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4 Conclusion

The results of the laboratory experiments demonstrate that the volume variations that arise with changes in the moisture content of the soil were lessened by adding cement and WCD as stabilizing agents to the expansive soil. The CBR is higher in the expanding soil that was treated with cement and WCD. Layer thickness and fatigue performance will therefore be impacted by the use of cement and WCD as stabilizers in the design of the flexible pavement. The results of this study also suggest that WCD may be utilized as stabilizing materials for new roads and as a potential remedy for problems with the disposal of solid waste, both of which will reduce the degradation of the environment.