Effect of Steel Slag and Calcium Carbide Waste on the Plasticity and Compaction Characteristics of Clay Soil

The need to enhance the strength of clay soil which is known as a problematic soil to geotechnical engineers necessitates the use of stabilizing materials like industrial waste materials which are easily available at low/or no cost. The clay soil samples, Steel Slag (SS) and Calcium Carbide Waste (CCW) were subjected to X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) test to determine their chemical compositions while the stabilized soil samples at varying percentages of SS (25%, 30%, 35%, and 40%) and CCW (75%, 70%, 65%, and 60%) for soil sample A and (45%, 50%, 55% and 60%) SS and (55%, 50%, 45% and 40%) CCW for soil sample B were subjected to Atterberg Limits and compaction tests. The soil samples A and B were classified as A-7-6(5) and A-6(5) according to American Association of State Highway Transportation Official (AASHTO), inorganic clay of high plasticity (CH) and inorganic clay of low to medium plasticity (CL) according to Unified Soil Classification System. The plasticity of the soil samples A and B decreases by 28% and 41% which reduces its swell potential and moisture-holding capacity. Also, the strength property revealed that the stabilized soil samples A and B increases the maximum dry density from 17.0kN/m3 and 13.0kN/m3 to 26.5kN/m3 and 23.5kN/m3 and decreases the optimum moisture content from 26.0% and 20.5% to 15.0% and 11.5% respectively which could be attributed to the lower affinity of SS to water thus, improving the compaction properties of the soil samples