Indian Geotechnical Conference IGC2016

15-17 December 2016, IIT Madras, Chennai, India

EFFECT OF RICE HUSK ASH ON SHEAR AND CONSOLIDATION

OF LATERITIC SOIL

Nabanita Daimary1
Arup Bhattacharjee2 and Rituparna Goswami3
1
P.G.student,2 & 3 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Jorhat Engineering College, Jorhat,Assam-785007
Email: anniez333@gmail.com, bhatta_arup@yahoo.com, goswami_rituparna@rediffmail.com

ABSTRACT: The construction of structures on soils with low strength causes problem for foundation of structures which
encourages the idea of finding appropriate methods of constructions that gives stability to the foundation. Various
industries produces a huge amount of wastes which may cause many environmental and health problems. So researchers
are investigating about utilization of industrial waste like fly ash, rich husk ash (RHA) etc. as stabilizing agent for soil.
This research study discusses the changes in shear parameters and consolidation characteristics of lateritic soil mixed with
RHA of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 30% at curing periods of 7 and 28 days. The experimental results showed improved
shear parameters as the percentage of addition of RHA increases. Consolidation parameters of untreated and RHA mix
soil indicates that coefficient of volume compressibility (mv), consolidation index (CC) decreases with increase in RHA
content and curing period.
KEYWORDS: Rise Husk Ash, Consolidation, Cohesion, Angle of Internal Friction.

1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Lateritic Soil

Soil is a complex and variable material. With rapid Lateritic soils are reddish brown in colour with high
urbanisation, the availability of suitable ground is clay content. These soils are rich in iron and aluminium
decreasing day by day. If ground condition at a oxides. The geotechnical properties of the lateritic soil
particular locality is not suitable for construction, then collected from Guwahati are listed in Table 1.
improvement is necessary. For improving the
Table 1 Geotechnical properties of lateritic soil
properties of the soil for construction admixtures may
be used. Some of the admixtures are lime, cement, PROPERTIES VALUES
polymers etc. which provides strength to the soil and Specific gravity 2.65
improves different geotechnical properties of the soil Liquid Limit (%) 44.34
but at the same time these artificial admixtures which Plastic Limit (%) 25.63
are commonly used for soil stabilization are not
Plasticity Index 18.71
economical. So, different researchers are investigating
Classification of Soil CI
utilization of different waste material like fly ash, rice
husk ash (RHA) etc. as soil stabilizing agent. Rice Optimum Moisture Content (%) 21.0
husk is an agricultural waste found in abundance from Cohesion (kPa) 46.1
rice mills. Disposal of rice husk causes both health and Angle of Internal Friction 130
environmental problems. Many investigators have
1.2 Rice Husk Ash
studied the effect of RHA with various commonly used
stabilizers like lime and cement on different clay soils.
Rahman (1987), Mussa (2008), Okafor and Okonkwo Rice husk is one of the most commonly available
(2009), Eberemu (2011), Sarkar et al. (2012), Fattah et materials in rice mill industries. It is an agricultural
al. (2013), Jain and Puri (2013), Eberemul and Sada residue abundantly available in rice producing
(2013), Chacko et al. (2014), Bhattacharjee and countries such as India. About 20 million tons of RHA
Borgohain (2015), have studied effect of RHA on are produced annually in India. The husks are found
different clay soils. The present study focuses on the surrounding in the paddy fields. Rice husk ash (RHA)
effect of RHA on consolidation and shear properties of commonly consists of silica, lime, alumina, iron oxide,
lateritic soil. magnesia. In the present study, rice husk collected
from local rice mill at Jorhat and burnt. The specific
gravity of RHA is determined to be 2.25. Table 2
shows chemical composition of RHA. Fig. 1 shows
rice husk ash (RHA) used in present study.
1
Effect of Rice Husk Ash on Shear and Consolidation of Lateritic Soil

Table 2: Chemical composition of RHA used content to 30%. Similar increasing trend of φ is
observed for tests after 7 and 28 days of curing periods.
Components % Present in RHA
This increase in φ and decrease in c implies that the
Silica(SiO2) 73.4 silica content in RHA act as a binder which
Aluminium(Al2O3) 5.4 agglomerates the particles into a larger one and the soil
Iron (Fe2O3) 1.02 changes from clay to silt.
Calcium (CaO) 1.7
Magnesium (MgO) 1.75
0 day 7 days 28 days
Potassium (K2O) 1.17
80
60

c (KPa)
40
20
0
0% 10% 20% 30%
RHA (%)

Fig.2 Variations of Cohesion(C) for different RHA

content at different curing periods

0 days 7 days 28 days

Fig. 1: Rice Husk Ash used 40

30
1.3 Sample Preparation
Φ(degree)

Air dried soil samples passing through 425μ sieve are
mixed with 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 30% RHA.
The optimum moisture contents (OMC) and maximum
dry density (MDD) are determined as per IS 2720(Part-
7) 1983 for soil samples prepared with different
percentage of RHA. Three sets of samples are prepared
at OMC and MDD obtained for a particular soil+RHA
content. First set is tested immediately after preparation
and other two sets are kept of 7 and 28 days of curing
period. The direct shear tests and consolidation tests
of RHA stabilized soil is carried out as per IS 2720
(Part -13) 1986 and IS 2720 (Part-15)1986
respectively.
2.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
2.1 Effects on Shear Strength Parameters
Figure 2 and Figure 3 shows the variations of
cohesion(c) and angle of internal friction (φ) of lateritic
soil and different RHA stabilized soil at different
curing periods. . The c and φ of the natural lateritic soil
is 46.1 kPa and 130. It is observed that c increased up
to the value of 61.8 kPa at 15 % RHA content but with
further increment in RHA, c decreases. Similar
increasing trend is observed for tests after 7 and 28
days of curing period. With increase in curing period c
decreases irrespective of the RHA content. On the
other hand the φ increases to 310 with increase in RHA
2
20
10
0
0% 10% 20% 30%
RHA (%)
Fig.3 Variations of angle of internal friction (Φ) for
different RHA content at different curing periods.
2.2 Effects on coefficient of volume
compressibility, mv
Figure 4 shows variation of coefficient of volume
compressibility (mv) with different percentage of RHA
after 0, 7 and 28 days of curing at a particular effective
stress of 100 kPa. The mv for lateritic soil at 100 kPa is
1.3×10-3 m2/kN. The mv for soil+20% RHA and
soil+30% RHA is 0.5×10-3 m2/kN and 0.9×10-3 m2/kN
respectively. The mv decreases with addition of RHA to
lateritic soil up to 20% RHA and then increases at 30%
RHA. Decrease in mv with increasing RHA content
may be attributed to the addition of non-plastic
material to the parent soil and formation of pozzolanic
product within pore spaces. Soil with higher percentage
of RHA content causes decrease in quantity of soil
particles and increase in non-reactive RHA within soil
mass and increase of mv. The mv further decreases to
0.2×10-3 m2/kN at soil+20% RHA after 28 days of
 Indian Geotechnical Conference IGC2016
15-17 December 2016, IIT Madras, Chennai, India

curing. Decrease of mv with passage of time is due to cm2/sec. The Cv decreases to 1.5×10-4 cm2/sec at
more reaction between soil and RHA. soil+20% of RHA. The decrease in Cv is due to
puzzolonic formation for addition of RHA to the
0 day 7 days 28 days clayey soil. From the graph is also observed that Cv
decrease with increase in curing period.
0.0015
0 day 7 days 28 days
mv. (m2/kN)

0.001 1.00E-03

Cv (cm2/sec)
0.0005 5.00E-04

0
0.00E+00
0 10 20 30
RHA (%)
0 10 20 30
RHA (%)
Fig. 4 Variations of Coefficient of volume compressibility
(mv) for different RHA content for different curing period
Fig.6 Variations of Coefficient of consolidation Cv with
at an effective pressure of 100 kPa
different RHA contents and at curing periods for an
2.3 Effect on compression index, Cc effective pressure of 100 KN/m2
2.5 Effect on coefficient of permeability, K
Figure 5 shows the variations of compression index
(Cc) for different RHA content after different curing
Figure 7 shows variation of coefficient of permeability
periods. The Cc for lateritic soil is 0.48. The Cc
(K) with different percentage of RHA after 0, 7 and 28
decreases to 0.23 and 0.14 at soil+20%RHA after 0 and
days of curing at a particular effective stress of 100
28 days of curing period respectively, and remain
kPa. The K for lateritic soil at 100 kPa is 1.0×10-3
almost constant thereafter. The use of RHA lowers the
cm/sec. The K for soil+20% RHA and soil+30% RHA
slope of virgin compression curves; thereby reducing
is 7.0×10-9 cm/sec and 1.3×10-8 cm/sec. The K
the values of Cc. This may be attributed to the addition
decreases with addition of RHA to lateritic soil up to
of non-plastic material to parent clay and subsequently
20% RHA and then increases at 30% RHA. Decrease
formation of pozzolanic products. Finally a more
in K with increasing RHA content may be attributed to
compact state of the soil is attained.
the formation of pozzolanic product due to clay and
0 day 7 days 28 days
RHA reaction. Soil with higher percentage of RHA
content causes decrease in quantity of soil particles and
0.6 increase in porous RHA within soil mass and
0.5 ultimately increase of K. Decrease of K with passage
0.4 of time is due to more reaction between soil and RHA
Cc

0.3 and attainment of more compact state.

0.2
0 Day 7 days 28 days
0.1
0 1.50E-07
0 10 20 30
RHA (%) 1.00E-07
K, cm/sec

Fig. 5 Variations of Coefficient of Compression Index 5.00E-08

(Cc) with different RHA content at different curing
periods.
0.00E+00
2.4 Effect on coefficient of consolidation, Cv
0 10 20 30
RHA, %
Figure 6 shows variation of coefficient of consolidation
(Cv) with different percentage of RHA after 0, 7 and 28 Fig.7 Variations of Coefficient of permeability with
days of curing at a particular effective stress of different RHA contents and at curing periods for an
100KPa. The Cv for lateritic soil at 100 kPa is 8.3×10-3 effective pressure of 100 KN/m2
3
Effect of Rice Husk Ash on Shear and Consolidation of Lateritic Soil

2.6 Conclusions Civil Engg, Federal University of Technology, Minna,

Niger State, Nigeria.
The RHA as waste material have great potential as soil Rahman, M.A. (1987) ‘Effect of cement rice husk ash
stabilizing admixtures. The following conclusions can mixtures on geotechnical properties of lateritic soils’
be made from the results obtained from the study. Journal of soils and foundations (JSSMF), Vol.27
(2), pp. 61-65.
1. The angle of internal friction of soil+RHA Sarkar, G., Islam, M.R., Alamgir, D.M., and
mix increases with increase in RHA content. Rokonuzzaman, D.M. (2012) ‘Interpretation of Rice
2. The coefficient of volume compressibility Husk Ash on Geotechnical Properties of Cohesive
(mv) decreases in soil+RHA mix upto 20% of Soil’, Global Journal of researches in engineering:
RHA content. With further increase of RHA Civil and Structural engineering, 12(2).
content mv increases.
3. The compression index (Cc) decreases in
soil+RHA mix upto 20% of RHA content.
4. The coefficient of consolidation (Cv) and
coefficient of permeability (K) decreases
with increase in RHA content.
5. The curing period is another governing
parameter of soil+RHA mix.
REFERENCES
Bhattacharjee, A. and Borgohain, B. (2015) ‘Improvement
Of California Bearing Ratio Of Lateritic Soil Using
Rice Husk Ash’, 50th Indian Geotechnical Conference,
Paper No. 417, 17th -19th December 2015, College of
Engineering, Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Chacko, A., Roy, N., and Poweth, M.J. (2014) ‘Effect of
Rice Husk on Soil Properties’, International Journal of
Engineering Research and Development, 9(11), pp.44-
49.
Eberemu, A.O. (2011) ‘Consolidation Properties of
Compacted Lateritic Soil Treated with Rice Husk Ash’,
Scientific Research, Geomaterials, 1, 70-78.
Eberemu, A.O. and Sada, H (2013) ‘Compressibility
Characteristics of Compacted Black Cotton Soil
Treated With Rice Husk Ash’, Nigerian Journal of
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Fattah, M.Y, Rahil, F.H, and Al-Soudan, K.Y.H. (2013)
‘Improvement of clayey soil characteristics using Rice
Husk Ash’, Journal of Civil Engineering and
Urbanization, JCEU, ISSN-2252-0430, 3(1), pp. 12-
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Determination of water content-dry density relation
using light compaction, Bureau of Indian Standards,
New Delhi.
IS 2720 (Part -13) 1986, Methods of Test for Soils: Direct
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IS 2720 (Part-15)1986, Methods of Test for Soils:
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Mussa, A. (2008) ‘Permeability of laterite soil treated with
lime and rice husk ash’, Technical Report, Deptt. of