Effect of Fly Ash on Engineering Properties

of Expansive Soils
B. R. Phani Kumar1 and Radhey S. Sharma,M.ASCE2
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Abstract: This note presents a study of the efficacy of fly ash as an additive in improving the engineering characteristics of expansive
soils. An experimental program has evaluated the effect of the fly ash content on the free swell index, swell potential, swelling pressure,
plasticity, compaction, strength, and hydraulic conductivity characteristics of expansive soil. The plasticity, hydraulic conductivity and
swelling properties of the blends decreased and the dry unit weight and strength increased with an increase in fly ash content. The
resistance to penetration of the blends increased significantly with an increase in fly ash content for a given water content. Excellent
correlation was obtained between the measured and predicted undrained shear strengths.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲1090-0241共2004兲130:7共764兲
CE Database subject headings: Expansive soils; Fly ash; Swelling pressure; Penetration resistance; Shear strength.

Introduction
Expansive soils are highly problematic because of the susceptibil-
ity of these soils to undergo large changes in volume due to fluc-
tuations in the moisture content 共see, e.g., Sharma 2003; Wheeler
et al. 2003兲. In monsoon seasons, soils imbibe water, swell, be-
come soft and capacity to bear water is reduced. In drier seasons,
these soils shrink or reduce in volume due to evaporation of water
and they become harder. The annual cost of damage to civil en-
gineering structures is estimated at £150 million in the U.K.,
$1,000 million in the U.S. and many billions of dollars worldwide
共Gourly et al. 1993兲.
Various innovative techniques such as special foundations that
include belled piers, drilled piers, friction piers, and moisture bar-
riers have been developed to mitigate the problems posed by ex-
pansive soils 共e.g., Chen 1975兲. Apart from these techniques, sta-
bilization of expansive soils with various additives including fly
ash, lime, cement and calcium chloride has also met with consid-
erable success 共Desai and Oza 1997; Cokca 2001; Phani Kumar
et al. 2001兲. Stabilization of expansive soils with admixtures con-
trols the potential of soils for a change in volume.
Fly ash is the material extracted from flue gases of a furnace
fired with coal. It is a nonplastic fine silt. Its composition varies
according to the nature of coal burned 共Rollings and Rollings
1996兲. The quantity of fly ash generated per year worldwide was
expected to exceed 100 million tons by the year 2000 共Sridharan
1
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Univ. of Bradford,
Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, U.K.
2
Dept. of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, Town
Engineering Building, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011-3232. E-mail:
rsharma@iastate.edu
Note. Discussion open until December 1, 2004. Separate discussions
must be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by
one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing
Editor. The manuscript for this technical note was submitted for review
and possible publication on July 31, 2001; approved on August 26, 2003.
This technical note is part of the Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvi-
ronmental Engineering, Vol. 130, No. 7, July 1, 2004. ©ASCE, ISSN
1090-0241/2004/7-764 –767/$18.00.
et al. 1996兲. At present, the generation of fly ash is far in excess
of its utilization. It can be used as an alternative to conventional
materials in the construction of geotechnical and geoenvironmen-
tal infrastructures 共e.g., Sharma 1996; Cokca 1997兲. Fly ash is
also a potential material for waste liners 共Edil et al. 1987兲. In
combination with lime and bentonite, fly ash also can be used as
a barrier material 共Joshi et al. 1994兲. This note presents the results
of an experimental investigation carried out to study the effect of
fly ash on different engineering properties of expansive soils in-
cluding the free swell index 共FSI兲, swell potential, swelling pres-
sure, compaction characteristics, resistance to penetration, und-
rained shear strength and hydraulic conductivity.
Materials and Testing Program
The expansive soil used in testing has a FSI of 250% and a
natural water content of 14%. The index properties are summa-
rized in Table 1. Based on the index properties and the grain-size
distribution, soil is classified as a CH 共ASTM D2487兲. The
chemical composition of the soil is given in Table 2. The index
properties of fly ash are also shown in Table 1. Fly ash is a
nonplastic material composed of silt-sized particles. The chemical
composition of fly ash is shown in Table 3.
The effects of fly ash on the liquid limit, plastic limit, com-
paction characteristics, penetration resistance, undrained shear
strength and hydraulic conductivity of the expansive soil were
evaluated. Standard compaction tests 共ASTM 2000, D698a兲 were
conducted on fly ash-blended expansive soil with fly ash contents
of 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% on a dry weight basis.
The penetration resistance of the soil mixed with fly ash was
determined from the penetration tests 共ASTM 1999, D1558兲 per-
formed on the compacted blends at water contents of 20, 25, 30
and 35% added to the natural air-dried soil which has a water
content of 14%. A Proctor needle penetrometer with shoe of di-
ameter 20 mm was used. Unconfined compression tests were per-
formed at the same water contents and dry unit weights as the
compaction tests. The hydraulic conductivity of the blends was
determined using a variable-head permeameter.

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 Table 1. Properties of Index of Expansive Soil and Fly Ash
Standard
Property designation Expansive soil Fly ash
Specific gravity ASTM D854-02 2.72 2.1
Liquid limit 共%兲 ASTM D4318-00 80 —
Plastic limit 共%兲 ASTM D4318-00 28 —
Plasticity index 共%兲 ASTM D4318-00 52 NP
Gravel 共%兲 共⬎6.20– 4.75 mm兲 ASTM 98 D422-63 0 0
Sand 共%兲 共4.75–0.075 mm兲 ASTM 98 D422-63 7 0
Silt 共%兲 共0.075–0.002 mm兲
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ASTM 98 D422-63 24 92
Clay 共%兲共⬍0.002 mm兲 ASTM 98 D422-63 69 8
Free swell index 共FSI兲 ASTM D5890-02 250 Nonswelling
USCS classification ASTM D2487-00 CH Nonplastic

Results
Plasticity
Table 4 summarizes the effect of fly ash on different physical
properties such as the plasticity and engineering characteristics
including the swelling characteristics, compaction behavior and
hydraulic conductivity. The liquid limit decreases and the plastic
limit increases with an increase in fly ash content. The plasticity
index is reduced by about 50% when the fly ash content is 20%.
Hydraulic Conductivity
The measured values of hydraulic conductivity, k, for blends at
different fly ash contents are shown in Table 4. The tests were
performed on blends at their respective optimum moisture con-
tents and dry unit weights. The results indicate that the value of k
decreases with an increase in fly ash content. This decrease in
hydraulic conductivity correlates well with the increase in maxi-
mum dry unit weight with an increase in fly ash content.
Swelling Behavior
The free swell index is expressed as follows 共Holtz and Gibbs
1956兲:
Table 4 shows variation of the FSI according to the fly ash
content. The free swell index decreased considerably with an in-
crease in fly ash content, reaching half of the initial FSI of the soil
at 20% fly ash.
The swell potential (S%) and swelling pressure (p s ) of the
blended samples were measured at different percentages of fly ash
by conducting swell-consolidation tests 共20-mm thick and 60 mm
in diameter兲 by the free swell method 共ASTM 1996, D4546兲. The
blended samples were statically compacted in the oedometer into
four layers each of 5 mm thickness. Table 4 shows the values of
swell potential (S%) and swelling pressure (p s ) measured at dif-
ferent percentages of fly ash. Both the swell potential and swell-
ing pressure decrease with an increase in fly ash content. At low
percentages of fly ash, a greater decrease occurred in the swell
potential and swelling pressure. When the fly ash content is in-
creased to 20%, both the swell potential and swelling pressure
decreased by about 50% 共Table 4兲. Fly ash contents of more than
20% do not produce a significant reduction in the swell potential
of the soil.
Compaction Behavior
Table 4 also shows variation of the optimum moisture content and
maximum dry unit weight with an increase in percent of fly ash
based on standard compaction 共ASTM 2000, D698a兲. The opti-

冉 冊
V w ⫺V k mum moisture content decreases by 25% and maximum dry unit
FSI 共 % 兲 ⫽ ⫻100 (1) weight increases by about 5% at 20% fly ash content. The opti-
Vk mum moisture content decreases and the maximum dry unit
where V w and V k ⫽volume of the soil in water and kerosene, weight increases with an increase in fly ash content. With increas-
respectively.

Table 3. Chemical Composition of Fly Ash 共Rao 2002兲

Component Range 共wt %兲
Table 2. Chemical Composition of Expansive Soil 共Rao 2002兲
SiO2 61– 64.29
Quantity Alumina 21.6 –27.04
Chemical composition 共%兲
Fe2 O3 3.09–3.86
Silica (SiO2 ) 63.17 TiO2 1.25–1.69
Alumina (Al2 O3 ) 19.36 MnO Up to 0.05
Ferric (Fe2 O3 ) 4.32 CaO 1.02–3.39
Titanium (TiO2 ) 0 MgO 0.5–1.58
Potassium (K2 O) 1.73 Phosphorus 0.02–0.14
Sodium (Na2 O) 8.73 SO3 Up–0.07
Magnesium 共MgO兲 1.79 K2 O 0.08 –1.83
Calcium 共CaO兲 0.67 Na2 O 0.28 –0.48
Loss on ignition 0.23 Loss of ignition 0.2–0.85

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 Table 4. Effect of Fly Ash on Index Properties, Swelling, Compaction Behavior, and Hydraulic Conductivity
Fly ash content
Property 0 5 10 15 20
Liquid limit 共%兲 80 77 75 73 70
Plastic limit 共%兲 28 31 35 40 44
Free swell index 250 200 165 140 125
Swell potential 共%兲 10.8 8.75 7.2 6.0 5.5
Swelling pressure 共kPa兲 90 72 60 50 45
Optimum moisture content 共%兲 40 38 35 33 31
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Maximum dry unit weight 共kN/m3兲 13.75 13.91 14.05 14.19 14.30
Hydraulic conductivity, k 共cm/s兲 9.70⫻10⫺7 Not tested 6.02⫻10⫺7 Not tested 3.95⫻10⫺7

ing fly ash content, the compaction curve shifted upward and
toward the left, indicating that expansive soil is stabilized by the
addition of fly ash even at low water contents. Furthermore, at a
given water content, the dry unit weight increases as the fly ash
content increases. This indicates that the fly ash-blended expan-
sive soil is rendered stable and this makes it a suitable material
for subgrade, embankment and back-fill.
Penetration Resistance
Table 5 shows variation of the penetration resistance as a function
of the water content and fly ash content. The penetration resis-
tance 共MPa兲 was determined using the Proctor needle on samples
compacted to Proctor test specifications in a standard Proctor
mold by adding water to the naturally air-dried soil to achieve the
water contents shown in Table 5. The penetration resistance in-
creases with an increase in fly ash content for a given water
content. At water content of 20%, the penetration resistance in-
creased by about 30% when the fly ash content increased from 0
to 20%. With an increase in water content, however, the penetra-
tion resistance decreased. As the soil becomes softer with an in-
crease in water content, its cohesive strength decreases. Also, the
percentage of increase in penetration resistance increases as the
water content increases due to the dry unit weight increasing with
increasing moisture content up to the optimum moisture content.
Undrained Shear Strength
Undrained shear strength 共ASTM 2000, D2166兲 was determined
using cylindrical samples 共38-mm in length and 76-mm in diam-
eter兲 by conducting unconfined compression tests at as-compacted
Proctor densities that corresponded to oven-dried water contents
of 34, 39, 44, and 49%. No curing period was allowed for the
samples. Table 5 shows the measured values of undrained shear
strength at different percentages of fly ash. The undrained shear
strength, c u , decreases with an increase in water content for all
percentages of fly ash. The undrained shear strength increases
with an increase in fly ash content. At water content of 20% the
increase in undrained shear strength is about 27% when the fly
ash content is 20%. This is true for all placement water contents
in the test program. The increase in c u results from the increase in
dry unit weight with increased fly ash content for a given water
content. The trend in variation of measured c u with water content
is shown in Fig. 1. It shows a steep decrease in c u with water
content for a given fly ash content.
Prediction of c u from Penetration Resistance
Sanglerat 共1972兲 proposed the following relation between the
penetration resistance and c u :
Q c ⫽N k c u ⫹ P o (2)
where Q c ⫽penetration resistance; c u ⫽undrained cohesion; P o
⫽total overburden pressure; and N K ⫽penetration constant.
Eq. 共2兲 can be used to predict the value of c u for blends from
measured values of the penetration resistance. The measured val-
ues of c u 共see Table 5兲 are compared with predicted values ob-
tained from Eq. 共2兲. In prediction of the value of c u from the
measured penetration resistance, the overburden pressure, P o ,
was neglected since the tests were conducted in small molds. The
penetration resistance, Q c , was measured using a Proctor needle.
The value of the penetration constant, N K , generally varies be-
tween 11 and 20. A penetration constant of 12 was chosen for
prediction of c u because blends become more silty with an in-
crease in fly ash content. Fig. 2 shows a comparison of measured
and predicted values of c u . Excellent correlation between c u
共measured兲 and c u 共predicted兲 is clear in Fig. 2. It is therefore
reasonable to say that Eq. 共2兲 gives good predictions for blends of
expansive soil and fly ash.
Conclusions
The following conclusions can be drawn from this experimental
study.

Table 5. Effect of Fly Ash and Water Content on Penetration Resistance 共PR兲 and Undrained Shear Strength, c u 共MPa兲
Fly ash added 共%兲
0 5 10 15 20
Water added 共%兲 PR cu PR cu PR cu PR cu PR cu
20 1,753 147 1,822 154 1,911 161 2,103 176 2,302 186
25 1,108 91 1,210 97 1,310 105 1,346 114 1,587 130
30 579 49 641 53 702 58 807 67 907 76
35 302 26 365 29 420 32 481 37 554 44

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Fig. 1. Variation of measured c u with percentage of fly ash and water
content
1. The addition of fly ash reduces the plasticity characteristics
of expansive soils. The liquid limit decreases and the plastic
limit increases with an increase in fly ash content. The free
swell index of expansive soils can be effectively reduced by
the addition of fly ash. For the expansive soil used, the FSI
was reduced by about 50% by adding 20% fly ash. The hy-
draulic conductivity of expansive soils mixed with fly ash
decreases with an increase in fly ash content.
2. The addition of fly ash to expansive soil reduces the swell
potential and swelling pressure. Both the swell potential and
swelling pressure were reduced by 50% at 20% fly ash. The
swelling characteristics, namely, the free swell index, swell
potential and swelling pressure, showed greater reductions at
lower percentages of fly ash. At percentages of fly ash
greater than 10%, the reduction gradually decreased.
Fig. 2. Correlation of measured and predicted c u
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J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 2004, 130(7): 764-767
3. With an increase in fly ash content the optimum moisture
content decreases and the maximum dry unit weight in-
creases. Compaction curves shifted upward and toward the
left as the optimum moisture content decreased and the
maximum dry unit weight increased with an increase in fly
ash content. The addition of fly ash is akin to increased com-
pactive effort. Hence, expansive soil is rendered more stable.
4. The undrained cohesion (c u ) of the expansive soil blended
with fly ash increases with the fly ash content. Excellent
correlation was obtained between measured and predicted
values of undrained cohesion.
Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Professor A. S. Rao, Department
of Civil Engineering, JNTU College of Engineering, Kakinada,
India, for providing the chemical composition of the materials.
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