Stabilization of high plasticity clays

The characteristics of the construction area soils sometimes have the inconvenient properties. In this condition, the engineer?s mission is to improve the soil properties of this area by accepting the existing soil property limiting or making stabilization on the soils of the ground according to the design criteria. Weak strength characteristic of soil are improved to strong strength properties by using mechanical, physical and chemical stabilization methods. This formation is called soil improvement. Soil improvement contains decreasing the void ratio of the ground by using mechanic tools, drainage the water from the soil structure and locating the steel equipments on the ground for stabilization. In this study bentonite clay is mixed with the ratio of %10 percent lime, %5-10-15-20-25 percent fly ash and zeolite. Atterberg limits, specific gravity, hydrometer, dry sieve analysis and compaction experiments are applied on the homogenous samples. The new samples prepared with the optimum water content calculated from the compaction experiment are leaved for 1, 7 and 28 daily cure period. The adulterated materials added into bentonite increased the strength of these samples. The maximum strength value estimated from the %100 clay+%10 lime +%5 zeolite +%5 fly ash samples. Based on the findings of this research, it is concluded that lime, zeolite and fly ash can be used as an alternative solution in soil improvement of the CH clay.