Stabilization of clayey subgrade with waste pumice for road infrastructure

Abstract

High-plasticity clayey subgrade, which is unsuitable for road construction, may sometimes occur along highway routes. In such cases, engineers need to change the route of a highway project, resulting in an increase in road length and project costs. In this study, waste pumice was examined for stabilization of high-plasticity clayey subgrade, which is inappropriate for road construction. For this purpose, the physical and index properties of clay and pumice were determined. Then, the pumice was mixed with high plasticity clay at different ratios by weight. By performing standard Proctor compaction tests on the mixtures, the effects of adding pumice on compaction were also studied. Unconfined compression tests and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests were performed on all pumice-clay mixtures, and the test results and the CBR ratios were compared for each sample, respectively. The results showed that pumice stabilization improved the mechanical properties and reduced the swelling potential of high plasticity clayey subgrade.

Keywords

• pumice
• road infrastructure
• stabilization
• waste material