COMPACTION BEHAVIOUR OF LATERITIC SOILS TREATED WITH SAW DUST ASH AND CEMENT

Abstract

Recently the world is facing the challenge of utilizing Industrialized/Agricultural waste and also on how to minimize the negative effect of carbon dioxide to the ozone layer. Sawdust ash being among the waste product generated industrially, need to be utilize due to how it appears in open areas or landfills which is environmental unfriendly. This study have looked at the effect of sawdust ash on compaction behaviour of soil by mixing it with cement. The compaction test carried out was in compliance with the British standard, adopting British Standard Light and British Standard Heavy. From the compaction test conducted it was observe that upon addition of sawdust ash content to soil/cement mixture at different percentage, 0, 3, 6, and 9% for cement and 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% for sawdust ash, the Maximum dry density MDD increases from 1.42Mg/m 3 and 1.53 Mg/m 3 for the natural soil to 1.54Mg/m 3 and 1.64Mg/m 3 at 6% cement / 6% sawdust ash content while the Optimum moisture content OMC decreases from 26% and 23% for the natural soil to 16% and 14% at 6% cement / sawdust ash content. However, the trend can be of advantage in construction involving wet soil, since there is less need for soil to be dry prior to compaction.

KEYWORDS Sawdust ash, British Standard Light, British Standard Heavy, Maximum dry density and Optimum Moisture Content