Using sea shell, lime and zeolite as additives in the stabilization of expansi̇ve soils

Swelling soils cause serious problems in civil engineering structures. When free swelling is prevented by structures to be built on such soils, stresses occur that can cause significant damage to the structure. The most commonly used solution method to control this problem is stabilization with different additives. In this study, the effect of alternative materials such as seashell, lime and zeolite on the stabilization of high plasticity clay soil (CH) obtained from the clay quarry in Denizbükü District of Ünye Cement Factory was investigated. High plasticity clay soil mixed with 8% to 16% seashell, 3% to 8% lime and 5% to 20% zeolite by weight. First of all, consistency limit tests were performed for the test sets obtained according to the orthogonal matrix of the Taguchi method (L25). The data obtained from the test results were analyzed according to the Taguchi Method and it was determined that the best results were obtained at the additive ratios of 12% to 14% for seashell, 5% to 6% for lime, and 5% to 10% for zeolite. Then, using these percentages, 4 experimental sets were prepared according to the orthogonal matrix (L4) of the Taguchi method. With the prepared mixtures, the effects of additives on the consistency limit, compaction parameters and swelling potential were investigated. In addition, the changes in the unconfined compressive strength of the 1, 7 and 28-day curing times were investigated. As a result of the experimental studies, it was revealed that SD14K6Z mixture containing 14% sea shell, 6% lime and 5% zeolite is the most optimal solution for swelling stabilization of the soil.