Experimental Study on Behavior of Black Cotton Soil using Wood Ash as Stabilizer

The stability of the structures to be built on the soil depends totally on the soil at which it rests. There are several types of soils that may pose a threat to the stability of structures built on them. Black cotton soil is one such problematic soil, widely spread across the world. They become very sticky when wet and usually characterized by surface cracks when dry. In order to adjust the geotechnical parameters of black cotton soil to meet the requirements of technical specifications in construction industry, studying of soil stabilization is more emphasized. Soil stabilization is the permanent physical and chemical alteration of soils to enhance their physical properties. Due to the growing cost of stabilizers, industrial and agricultural wastes can be used for stabilization. In this project, the behavior of black cotton soil is experimentally studied by using wood ash as stabilizing agent. Wood ash is a gray material and it is the residue powder left after the combustion of wood, such as burning wood in a home fireplace or an industrial power plant. Wood ash is added to black cotton soil in multiples of two percentages and various tests such as Differential free swell, Standard Proctor Compaction, Atterberg limits, Unconfined Compressive Strength and California Bearing Ratio(CBR) tests were conducted. The tests results showed maximum strength of soil samples when treated with 8% of wood ash. The result of investigation shall provide the basic successful implementation of wood ash for soil stabilization in practice.