SWELLING BEHAVIOR OF EXPANSIVE SOIL IMPROVED WITH EUCALYPTUS ASH THROUGH SHALLOW MIXING
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Abstract
Expansive clay is a geological material commonly classified as a problematic soil due to its high free swelling potential upon water absorption, which often leads to damage to buildings and engineering structures. Stabilizing agents such as cement and lime have been widely used to control the swelling behavior of this type of soil. However, eucalyptus ash, a byproduct of biomass combustion, contains major chemical constituents such as calcium oxide (CaO) and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), enabling it to function as a promising alternative stabilizing agent in terms of effectiveness, cost efficiency, and waste utilization. This study aims to investigate the free swelling potential behavior (maximum swelling: Smax) of expansive clay partially replaced with eucalyptus ash using the shallow mixing technique to produce a composite material with reduced swelling characteristics. Smax tests were conducted on both untreated soils and soils stabilized with eucalyptus ash. Two types of expansive clay were considered: (1) synthetic clay composed of kaolinite and bentonite, and (2) natural expansive clay obtained from the Mae Moh area. The synthetic clay was proportioned to achieve an Smax value comparable to that of the natural clay, serving as a reference baseline for evaluating the effectiveness of eucalyptus ash in reducing swelling under different soil textures and mineralogical compositions. In addition, the effects of varying replacement ratios of eucalyptus ash were examined to determine the optimum ash content, along with an assessment of the influence of the stabilized thickness ratio (STR) on Smax.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The published articles are copyright of the Engineering Journal of Research and Development, The Engineering Institute of Thailand Under H.M. The King's Patronage (EIT).
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