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Laboratory Investigation of the Effect of Eggshell powder on Plasticity Index in Clay and Expansive Soils

Arash Barazesh, Hamidreza Saba, Mehdi Gharib and Moustafa Yousefi Rad

Nowadays, considerable attention has been paid to the utilization of alternative materials, which bear higher engineering quality than traditional materials and are financially affordable. Soil is one of the most important materials used in a variety of construction projects including earth canals and earth dams. The fact that soil may provide all the resistance characteristics necessary for a project illustrates the importance of various methods used to improve soil quality. Clay soil is widely used in most of the construction projects. Clay soils, particularly soft clay soils, have good plastic properties so that increased moisture results in their decreased shear strength, compressive strength and volume changes. These damages typically take an irreparable toll on structures, which further clarifies the importance of soil improvement. Considering millions of tons of waste produced annually across the country, which not only poses the problem of disposal but also adds to environmental contamination and health risks, utilization of such refuse and industrial wastes and their subsidiary products as alternatives to construction materials may effectively contribute to environmental preservation and minimization of their adverse effects on the environment. In the present study, eggshell powder was used as a waste to combine with soil so that the plasticity properties of clay soil were investigated in different mixture proportions. Then the plasticity properties of soils including liquid and plasticity limits as well as plasticity index, already measured, were compared with those of the experimental specimens mixed with eggshell powder in different proportions.