Natural Stabilization of Soils

With Special Reference to

Entomological Considerations

by

Dr.A.S.Nene and Y.D. Parihar

 Insects or Soil Engineers
Termites, Wasps and earthworms can be considered
as soil engineers because of their effects on soil
properties.
 Introduction

v In nature there are insects that stabilize and

use soil for their dwellings. Such insects are
Wasps, Earthworms and Termites etc.

v The stabilization agents used by these insects are

yet unknown.

v Many ancient Indian Texts on Engineering mention

the use of ant-hill soils for mud plaster, mud flooring,
metallurgical crucibles and clay idols.
 Fascinating Facts about
Termites and Termitarium (Ant-hills)

Ø Termites use adjacent soil grains for construction of

ant-hill.

Ø These particles are coated with sticky rapidly

hardening material secretions from mouth or rectum.

Ø On drying the material becomes hard as rock.

Ø Strength of the ant-hill increases with time.

Ø Ant-Hills are very strong and need sharp tools, or even

dynamites to destroy.

Queen’s
Chamber
Ø Size and shapes of termitarium
are indicative of the species
of termites.

Ø Shapes may like a mushroom,

column, pyramid sheet piles etc.
Ø Size may be as large as 4 m. at base and height up to 9 m.

Ø On a scale of relative size, a man made pyramid would be

4 km high !

Ø In spite of the huge soil mass used for giant ant-hills,

there is no cavity in the ground.
 Research Objectives

§ To study the engineering properties of ant-hill soil

and compare with the properties of parent soil from
which the ant-hill are constructed.

§ To Conduct Chemical analysis of ant-hill soil for pH,

phosphates and sulphate content.

§ To Conduct X ray Diffraction tests.

§ To Identify the secret of construction of ant-hills which

will be very useful for low cost mud constructions.
 The secret of construction of ant-hills

Cellulose
54.6%
Pentosans
6.5%
Cellulose
18.0%

Pentosans Lignin Lignin

18.0% 27.4% 75.5%

Food
Before Digestion After Digestion
 1. Field visits and Samples collection

• Samples were collected from seven sites of Vidarbha.

• For each site two samples were collected.

• The first sample was of parent soil and the second sample
was from ant-hill.

• About 10 kg soil samples were collected from each site

for laboratory testing.
 2. Laboratory Investigations Part 1

Following laboratory tests were conducted on 14

samples collected from seven sites.

Ø Differential free swell test (DFS )

Ø Grain Size Analysis (GSA)

Ø Consistency Limits (Liquid Limit -LL,

Plastic Limit -PL and Shrinkage Limit -SL
 35 65
Parent Anthill Parent Anthill

30 60

25 55

Liquid Limit %
DFS Value %

20 50

15 45

10 40

5 35

0 30
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7
Site No Site No

Reduction in DFS Value and Nominal reduction in Liquid Limit

 27.5 27.5
Parent Anthill Parent Anthill
25
25
22.5

20
22.5

Shrinkage Limit %
17.5
Plastic Limit %

20 15

12.5
17.5
10

15 7.5

5
12.5
2.5

10 0
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7
Site No Site No

Increase in Plastic Limit and Shrinkage Limit

 60
Parent Anthill

50

Swelling Pressure kPa

40

30

20

10

0
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7
Site No

Reduction in Swelling Pressure

Ø Swelling Pressure test (Constant volume method)

Ø Chemical Test on soils for pH

Ø Sulphate and Phosphate content test

Ø X Ray Diffraction test.

 Laboratory Investigations Part 2

Laboratory tests were conducted on parent soils

from three sites to find

Ø The effect of lignin on Consistency Limits of soils.

Ø The effect of lignin on dry density- Optimum moisture

content of soils
 60 26
0% 4 8 12 0% 4 8 12

50

22

40

Plastic Limit %
Liquid Limit %

30 18

20

14

10

0 10
CHandur Rajura Nagzira CHandur Rajura Nagzira
Effect of Lignin on Liquid Limit Effect of Lignin on Plastic Limit

Decrease in Liquid Limit but increase in Plastic Limit

 24
0% 4 8 12

20
Shrinkage Limit %

16

12
CHandur Rajura Nagzira
Effect of Lignin on Shrinkage Limit

Increase in Shrinkage Limit

 Conclusions
Based on the review of literature and limited laboratory

investigations following conclusions were drawn.

vThe swelling characteristics of parent soils are

drastically reduced in Natural stabilization by termites.
vThere is negligible change in soil Constituents of soil.
vLignin of the cementing material is the secret of
strength of ant-hills.
vMore research is necessary to create similar
cementing agent on large scale.
 References

1. Eugene Marais (1973) “Sole of white ants”,

Penguin Publications, London.
2. Roonwal M.L. (1979) Termite Life and Termite
control. Scientific Publishers Jodhpur.
 Publications

Ø Nene, A.S. and Parihar, Y.D. (1992)"Natural Stabilization

of Expansive Soil" Proceeding of Indian Geotechnical
Conference 1992, Calcutta, 18-20 December 1992,
Vol.1 .pp 207-209.

Ø Nene, A.S. and Parihar, Y.D. (1996) “Natural Stabilization

of soils with special reference to Entomological
considerations" Second International Conf. On Soft soil
Engineering, Nanjing (China) May 17-20.