Effect of Sustainable Stabilization on Cracking Characteristics of Marine Soil
Authors :- R Wanare, V Rotte, KKR Iyer
Publication :- Proceedings of the Indian Geotechnical Conference (IGC 2024), Volume 1, Springer, 2025
Marine clayey soils are prone to extensive cracking during drying and wetting cycles. The stabilization of soil against desiccation cracking can minimize the water loss and improve stability and performance of the geotechnical structures. In this context, an experimental study on application of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash (Class C) activated with nominal proportion of lime/cement for sustainable reduction of cracking in marine soil has been explored. Desiccation tests on marine soils have been carried out in laboratory at 27 ± 2 °C temperature with 50 ± 5% humidity to simulate the natural drying condition. Crack initiation time and cracking pattern are studied and crack and shrinkage intensity factor (CSIF) is evaluated at different stages of drying using image analysis technique and are utilized for quantification of cracking/shrinkage in unstabilized and stabilized marine soil. Based on the present investigation, nearly 35 and 27% crack reduction have been achieved with the application of 29% GGBS + 1% lime and 29.5% GGBS + 0.5% cement, respectively, as compared to unstabilized marine soil. The application of GGBS was observed to be somewhat more effective than fly ash for crack reduction in stabilized marine soil probably due to higher reactivity of GGBS with increase in pH due to the activation process. Further efforts to improve the reactivity of industrial residues with different activators can contribute toward sustainable crack reduction/crack mitigation in marine soils that may be useful for reducing cost of lining/protection for shores, other slopes, canals or farm ponds.