Effect of chemical additives on consistency, infiltration rate and swelling characteristics of bentonite

Abstract

Problems associated with expansive soils in Egypt are predominantly related to the presence of montmorillonite clay minerals in the soil with fresh water. In this paper we are trying to solve the swelling problem of bentonite by using the chemical additives such as ammonium chloride, sodium chloride sodium carbonate and lime. This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation performed to quantify the effect of mixing bentonite which represent the swelling soil in homogenies phase with chemical additives such as ammonium chloride, sodium chloride sodium carbonate and lime on the consistency and swelling characteristics of bentonite. The results showed that the increase of the chemical concentration to about 20% of the total sample weight of the mixing water leads to major decrease in the liquid limit and swelling characteristics of the bentonite. The reduction in the swelling of the bentonite is also proportional to the rate of chemical water infiltration into the bentonite. As the increase of the ammonium chloride and lime leads to significant increase of the infiltration.

Keywords

• Swelling soil
• Swelling ratio
• Infiltration
• Bentonite
• Improving