Stabilization of Clayey Soil with Marble
Dust
Arnab Debnath, Sumon Saha, and Rana Chattaraj
Abstract In this study the effectiveness of marble dust to improve the mechanical
properties of clayey soil has been studied. Marble has high lime content, which acts as
the main factor for soil stabilization. 25–30% marble dust (MD) is generated during
marble quarries and stones are cut as a block. In this study marble dust was added
in the range of 0–30% to the virgin soil by weight. Various tests like Atterberg’s
limits, compaction test, and strength tests were performed on untreated soil as well
as on treated soil. The results obtained in case of treated soil were compared with
the results obtained from the untreated soil. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS)
tests were performed at different curing intervals. It was found that the soil strength
increased with the increase in marble powder content and curing periods.
Keywords Marble dust · Clayey soil · Soil stabilization · Compaction · Curing
and UCS
1 Introduction
Owing to the presence of montmorillonite mineral in clayey type of soil, it swells
with addition of water and shrinks with evaporation of water. If any structure is
constructed on this type of soil, a lot of damage may be induced to the structure due
to the swelling and shrinkage of the underneath soil. This is why these types of soils
need to be stabilized. There are several techniques to improve the clayey soil such
as by adding different types of additives like marble dust, fly ash, rice husk, cement,
and so on. In this study, MD has been used to stabilize the soil. The MD is generated
when marble blocks are cut into small pieces. Marble dust is stored in sedimentation
A. Debnath · S. Saha · R. Chattaraj (B )
KIIT Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar, India
e-mail: rana.chattarajfce@kiit.ac.in
A. Debnath
e-mail: arnabdebnath00@gmail.com
S. Saha
e-mail: sumonsaha.4211@gmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
B. B. Das et al. (eds.), Recent Developments in Sustainable Infrastructure, Lecture Notes
in Civil Engineering 75, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4577-1_14
175