Stabilization of Black Soil Using Lime and Jute Fibre
Authors:-P.Prabhu, S.Kamaleshwaran, B.Yogeshvaran, R.Ajith
Abstract- Black cotton soil is a type of expansive soil that exhibits high swelling and shrinking behavior due to changes in moisture content, causing damages to structures built on it. This study aims to improve the engineering properties of black cotton soil by stabilizing it with lime and jute fibre, which are natural and eco-friendly materials. The soil samples were prepared with different proportions of lime (10%, 20%, and 30%) and jute fibre (10%, 20%, and 30%) and tested for shrinkage limit, unconfined compressive strength, and California bearing ratio. The results showed that the addition of lime and jute fibre reduced the shrinkage limit, increased the unconfined compressive strength and the California bearing ratio of the soil, indicating an improvement in the soil stability and bearing capacity. Soil is a base of structure, which actually supports the structure from beneath and distributes the load effectively. If the stability of the soil is not adequate then failure of structure occurs in form of settlement, cracks etc. Expansive soil also known as black cotton soil is more responsible for such situations and this is due to presence of montmorillonite mineral in it, which has ability to undergo large swelling and shrinkage. To overcome this, properties of soil must be improved by artificial means. Soil reinforcement technique is one of the most popular techniques used for improvement of poor soils. Metal strips, synthetic geotextiles, geogrid sheets, natural geotextiles, randomly distributed, synthetic and natural fibres are being used as reinforcing materials to soil. The study concluded that lime and jute fibre can be effectively used as soil stabilizers for black cotton soil.
