Geotechnical enhancement of expansive soils through zeolitic tuff and cement treatments
Laith IBDAH, Samer RABABAH, Mohammad Ali KHASAWNEH, Hussein ALDEEKY, Abdulla SHARO
Abstract. The low strength and tendency to swell of expansive soil present a substantial engineering challenge. The cracks and other forms of distress in structures and roads that frequently occur as a consequence of the expansive soil’s swelling potential result in substantial financial losses. The main objective of this research is to conduct experimental tests to assess the possibility of improving the characteristics of expansive soil by using different additions. The study utilized various ratios of Zeolitic tuff, namely 10, 20, 25, and 30 percent, in combination with cement of at 2, 4, and 6 percent. The test results clearly indicate that incorporating Natural Zeolite as an additive yielded beneficial effects on various geotechnical properties. Specifically, the addition of Natural Zeolite resulted in improvements such as reduced plasticity, minimized linear shrinkage, and decreased swell potential of the soil. Moreover, it contributed to an increase in the maximum dry unit weight, enhancing the soil’s overall stability and strength. The results were verified through microstructural examination employing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).
Keywords
Zeolitic Tuff, Cement Stabilization, Expansive Soil, Free Swell, Linear Shrinkage, Unconfined Compressive Strength
Published online 2/25/2025, 10 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Laith IBDAH, Samer RABABAH, Mohammad Ali KHASAWNEH, Hussein ALDEEKY, Abdulla SHARO, Geotechnical enhancement of expansive soils through zeolitic tuff and cement treatments, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 48, pp 368-377, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903414-41
The article was published as article 41 of the book Civil and Environmental Engineering for Resilient, Smart and Sustainable Solutions
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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