What Makes Cow-Dung Stabilised Earthen Block Water-Resistant

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yask Kulshreshtha ◽  
Philip J. Vardon ◽  
Gabrie Meesters ◽  
Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht ◽  
Nelson J.A. Mota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Water Resistance ◽  
Bet Surface Area ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Potential Measurement ◽  
Earthen Structures ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Practical Recommendations

The water-resistance of cow-dung has made it a widely used stabiliser in traditional earthen structures in several Asian and African countries. Multiple studies have shown an improvement in water-resistance with the addition of cow-dung, but none provides insight into this behaviour. The present study investigates the water-resistance behaviour of cow-dung stabilised earthen blocks through an extensive experimental programme to identify and characterise the components of cow-dung responsible for its water-resistance. Fresh cow-dung was collected and separated into fibres (>63 μm), medium-sized microbial aggregates (1-63 μm) and small-sized microbial aggregates (0.5-7 μm). Each component was mixed with soil and samples were prepared at different water contents (optimum water content corresponding to the highest dry density and water content higher than optimum) and compacted with 2.5 MPa force to prepare compressed blocks. The water-resistance of these blocks was evaluated through the immersion and modified drip/rain test. It was found that the small-sized microbial aggregates are almost entirely responsible for water-resistance behaviour of cow-dung stabilised earthen blocks. Small-sized microbial aggregates were further characterised by gas chromatography, mercury intrusion porosimetry, N2- BET surface area, zeta potential measurement and electron microscopy. The results indicate that the small-sized microbial aggregates are composed of clay-sized negatively charged particles that are rich in fatty acids. The hydrophobicity of these particles is hypothesised to be responsible for water-resistance behaviour. These insights are further used to produce stabilised blocks that performed at least 30 times better than the unstabilised blocks in both water-resistance tests. The study concludes with practical recommendations for the use of wet cow-dung over dry cow-dung and a reduction of fibre content to increase the water-resistance of earthen blocks.

Aspects of the behaviour of compacted clayey soils on drying and wetting paths

2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 1341-1357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marie Fleureau ◽  
Jean-Claude Verbrugge ◽  
Pedro J Huergo ◽  
António Gomes Correia ◽  
Siba Kheirbek-Saoud
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Pore Water ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Clayey Soils ◽  
Maximum Dry Density ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Optimum Water

A relatively large number of drying and wetting tests have been performed on clayey soils compacted at the standard or modified Proctor optimum water content and maximum density and compared with tests on normally consolidated or overconsolidated soils. The results show that drying and wetting paths on compacted soils are fairly linear and reversible in the void ratio or water content versus negative pore-water pressure planes. On the wet side of the optimum, the wetting paths are independent of the compaction water content and can be approached by compaction tests with measurement of the negative pore-water pressure. Correlations have been established between the liquid limit of the soils and such properties as the optimum water content and negative pore-water pressure, the maximum dry density, and the swelling or drying index. Although based on a limited number of tests, these correlations provide a fairly good basis to model the drying–wetting paths when all the necessary data are not available.Key words: compaction, unsaturated soils, clays, drying, wetting, Proctor conditions.

Compacted soil behaviour through changes of density, suction, and stiffness of soils with remoulding water content

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.W. Zhang ◽  
Y.J. Cui ◽  
F. Lamas-Lopez ◽  
N. Calon ◽  
S. Costa D’Aguiar
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Soil Plasticity ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Hydromechanical Behaviour ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Two Peaks ◽  
Soil Behaviour ◽  
Optimum Water ◽  
Water Contents

To better understand the overall hydromechanical behaviour of interlayer soil, the compaction behaviour of one of the two components — the portion of fines (<4 mm) that is sensitive to water content changes — was investigated. The standard Proctor compaction curves were first determined for the soils. Then, the maximum shear modulus, Gmax, and suction were measured on samples statically compacted at an identical dry density, but different remoulding water contents. The changes in Gmax reveal the existence of a characteristic water content corresponding to the maximum Gmax. The results also show that this characteristic water content increases with the soil plasticity, being similar to the variation trend of optimum water content with soil plasticity. A bimodal pattern was observed from the plot of total suction ψ versus the slope of water content w–log(ψ) curve. The suction corresponding to the maximum Gmax is close to the lowest point between the two peaks in the ψ–dw/dlog(ψ) curve. A reasonable explanation was attempted for the correspondence between the “optimum water content” defined by the maximum value of Gmax and the corresponding suction. The difference between the static and dynamic compactions was also explained in terms of suction values.

Study on Reasonable Feature of Compaction Loess with Air Porosities

2012 ◽  
Vol 238 ◽  
pp. 441-446
Author(s):  
Jing Yang ◽  
Ling Hao Wang ◽  
Fu Li Ma ◽  
Xiao Hong Bai
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Compression Coefficient ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Compaction Energy ◽  
Internal And External Factors ◽  
And Control ◽  
Compaction Method ◽  
Optimum Water

The degree of compaction is usually used as the compaction quality and control indicator of backfill in practical project. However, as the degree of compaction is affected by various internal and external factors, its accuracy is difficult to guarantee. In this paper, compacted loess samples were prepared under different compaction energies by normal compaction method. The curves of compression coefficient and dry density, the compression coefficient and porosity of compaction loess samples under different compaction energy are analyzed while the water content is constant. The air porosities of compaction loess samples under different compaction energy and water content are calculated and summed up. The air porosity of compaction loess samples under different compaction energy is more stable than the degree of compaction when the water content is exactly equal to the optimum water content. The rationality of using air porosity as the loess compaction quality control indicator is discussed. It is proposed using air porosity as additional indicator of compaction quality control on the condition of the loess compacted dry density meeting the requirements. The air porosity less than 6.5% is suggested as the additional quality control indictor for region backfill compaction.

Study on Compaction Characteristics of Solidified Mud with Different Proportion of Curing Agent

2012 ◽  
Vol 535-537 ◽  
pp. 1807-1810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Hui Wang ◽  
Juan Juan Zhao ◽  
Xiao Hua Wang ◽  
Xin Qi Wang ◽  
Sheng Guan Di
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Curing Agent ◽  
Maximum Dry Density ◽  
Compaction Characteristics ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Curing Agents ◽  
Optimum Water ◽  
Selection Of

The compacting curves of mud solidified by some curing agents, including cements, HSC301, CVC and CDK, were studied by heavy compaction tests. Based on this, prediction formulas for optimum water content and maximum dry density of solidified mud were regressed. Experimental results showed that the optimum water content of mud was increased and the maximum dry density reduced with the increasing amount of curing agent. Regression formulas were offered as a basis for the selection of mud curing agents.

scholarly journals Study on the Compaction Effect Factors of Lime-treated Loess Highway Embankments

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuyu Zhang ◽  
Wanjun Ye ◽  
Zuoren Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
In Situ Tests ◽  
Maximum Dry Density ◽  
Lime Content ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Compaction Energy ◽  
Highway Embankments ◽  
Optimum Water

This paper presents a study to investigate the effects of water content, lime content and compaction energy on the compaction characteristics of lime-treated loess highway embankments. Laboratory compaction tests were conducted to determine the maximum dry density  and optimum water content  of loess with different lime Contents (0, 3, 5 and 8%), and to examine the effects of water content, lime content and compaction energy on the value of  and . In situ compaction tests were performed to obtain the in situ dry density  and the degree of compaction  of different lime-treated loess. Experimental embankments with different fill materials (0, 3, 5 and 8% lime treated loess) were compacted by different rollers during in situ tests. The results indicate that  increases due to the increase of water content . Once water content exceeds , dry density  decreases dramatically. The addition of lime induced the increase of  and the decrease of . A higher compaction energy results in a higher value of  and a lower value of . The value of  achieves it’s maximum value when in situ water content  was larger than the value of  (+1-2%). The degree of compaction  can hardly be achieved to 100% in the field construction of embankments. Higher water content and compaction energy is needed for optimum compaction.

scholarly journals The Mechanical and Binding Potentials of Fresh Cow Dung (FCD) for Gravel Roads Construction

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-32
Author(s):  
Anthony Mugendi Nyagah ◽  
Sixtus Kinyua Mwea ◽  
Francis John Gichaga
Keyword(s):  
Road Network ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Cow Dung ◽  
Test Results ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Maximum Dry Density ◽  
The Road ◽  
Gravel Roads

Among the developing nations, unpaved (gravel and earth) roads form a disproportionately large percentage of the road network when compared to the paved roads. For instance, in Kenya earth roads account for 47% of the road network, while the gravel roads account for about 38%. The most significant problem associated with gravel and earth roads is dust emission, which contributes to the deterioration of the road surface. In addition, the dust causes road safety, human health and the environmental quality issues. In order to minimize dust emission dust suppressants are applied annually. Dust suppressants, for example, Magnesium or Calcium Chlorides solutions are expensive and hence not widely used in developing countries like Kenya. In many Kenyan rural homes and in most African countries, fresh cow dung (FCD) is used as dust suppressants in madhouses. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the mechanical and binding potentials of FCD for gravel roads construction as a dust suppressant, improvement of mechanical and resilience properties of lateritic soils for gravel roads construction. The effect of FCD on gravel soils was determined at various percentages (0%, 3%, 6%, 9% and 12%) by weight. The Index properties, compaction properties, plasticity requirements and bearing strengths {Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) and California Bearing Ratio (CBR)} were determined. The results show that Maximum Dry Density (MDD) reduced while the Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) increased with the increase in dosages of FCD. The UCS test results were 257 kN/m2 (0%), 257 kN/m2 (3%), 300 kN/m2 (6%), 267 kN/m2 (9%) and 213 kN/m2 (12%) while, the CBR test results were 21%, 39%, 54%, 34%, and 24% for 0%, 3%, 6%, 9% and 12%. The research concludes that FCD at 6% by weight can be used for mechanical stabilization of gravel soils for road construction. FCD is cheaper, readily available, sustainable and environmentally friendly. This will go a long way in the economic development of low and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Using Waste Asphalt Concrete (WAC) for Improving Poorly sandy Graded (PSG) Subgrade Soil

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.20) ◽  
pp. 472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asst. Prof. Dr. Khawla H. H. Shubber ◽  
Eng. Ali S. M. Alkizwini
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Asphalt Concrete ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Ratio Test ◽  
Direct Shear ◽  
Angle Of Internal Friction ◽  
Subgrade Soil ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Stabilized Soil ◽  
Optimum Water

Waste asphalt concrete (WAC) is one of main current sustainable problems facing accumulation in high quantities as a result of the highways failure, maintenance and reconstructions. On the other hand, presence of large amounts of poorly sand graded (PSG) soil near rivers, which are not suitable in case of using it as subgrade soil. So, present research focusing on study the effect of adding WAC on the properties of PSG soil. Modified Procter test, California Bearing Ratio test (CBR), Direct Shear test were depend on evaluating the stabilized soil properties (i.e. dry density, optimum water content, CBR, and direct shear).  PSG river soil used as subgrade soil in this research brought from sides of Sadit AL- Handayi in Babylon Governorate located in middle west of Iraq, about 60 km south west of Baghdad, capital of Iraq. Percent of adding are (12, 24, 36, and 48)% by weight. Results showed that the adding of WAC increase the dry density in different rate. While the optimum water content decrease with increasing WAC added. Direct shear of stabilized soil increase while angle of internal friction decrease with increasing of added WAC. CBR values increase with increasing WAC added.  

scholarly journals Significance of Stone Waste in Strength Improvement of Soil

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Amit Kumar ◽  
Kiran Devi ◽  
Maninder Singh ◽  
Dharmender Kumar Soni
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Industrial Wastes ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Maximum Dry Density ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Optimum Water

The evolution of industries is essential for the economic growth of any country; however, this growth often comes with exploitation of natural resources and generation of wastes. The safe disposal and utilisation of industrial wastes has become essential for sustainable development. A possible approach would be to utilize these wastes in construction industries. The stone industry is one such flawed industries that generates waste in dust or slurry form; this leads harmful impacts on human beings, animals, and surrounding areas which, in turn, can lead to soil infertility. In the present study, stone waste was examined for its influence on maximum dry density (MDD), optimum water content (OMC) and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of soil experimentally. Stone waste was used at 0%, 4%, 8%, 12%, 16% and 20% by weight of soil and UCS tests were conducted at maturing periods of 7, 14 and 21 days. Test results reported that the incorporation of stone waste improved the compressive strength value significantly. Maximum dry density was enhanced; however, optimum water content was reduced with the use of stone waste in soil due to its fine particles. Linear regression equations were also derived for various properties.

scholarly journals Measuring Compressive Strength Characteristics of Soil-Dobak-Glue Mixtures over Curing Time

2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Myeonghwan Kim ◽  
Seongjun Eom
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Water Content ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Standard Specimen ◽  
Dry Density ◽  
Curing Time ◽  
Soil Mixing ◽  
Optimum Water Content ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Optimum Water

The building materials used by mankind in the past, such as stone, soil, and wood, have been environment-friendly. However, the various building materials invented over time with the development of the industrial age pose problems such as environmental hormone generation and waste generation/disposal. To overcome these problems, building materials based on soil, a traditional building material, are being developed by researchers. However, the improvement in soil’s structural characteristics is insufficient as it excessively emphasizes efficacy and function only. In this study, lime and Dobak-glue were mixed with soil to solve the structural problems and improve the strength of soil, and water content and change in strength in accordance with curing time were tested. In order to understand the change in strength, a compaction test was performed by preparing a standard specimen based on the optimum water content and maximum dry density. The lime mix required optimum water content and quantity of lime equal to 3% of soil weight, while the Dobak-glue mix was prepared by soil mixing in the same weight ratio as optimum water content. Changes in water content and compressive strength were measured over curing time of 3, 7, and 28 days. Three specimens, lime mixed specimen, Dobak-glue mixed specimen, and standard specimen, were prepared, and their water content and compressive strength values were averaged. Although the change in water content according to the curing period differed depending on the material mixed with soil, there was no significant difference between 7.12% and 2.82% after 7 days. As for the change in compressive strength, the initial compressive strength in lime mixed specimen was excellent, but the Dobak-glue mixed specimen displayed the greatest strength after 7 days. To conclude, Dobak-glue is an eco-friendly material, and it can be very useful in compensating for the structural shortcomings of soil.

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