Effect of calcium chloride with cement as stabilizing additives on clay soil: Case study of Oyo Town

Abstract

The effect of calcium chloride with cement as stabilizing additives on selected clay soil samples at Oyo was investigated in this research. The clay soil samples were collected from four (4) different locations at Oyo, and were stabilized using various mix by dry weight, and the mixtures were subjected to various laboratory tests namely; Particle size distribution, moisture content, specific gravity, bulk density compaction characteristics, Atterberg limits (LL, PL, PI), and unconfined compression strength tests. The addition of stabilizers influences the moisture content of the soil samples at various location. Similarly, the specific gravity increases across all the locations as against the control, this is due to the chemical reactions between cement and calcium chloride added to the soil. Also, at the addition of stabilizers, the bulk density increases for locations A, C and D, with no significant improvement in location B, when compared with the control values. The gradation results showed that three locations were Gap-graded while the other was well graded. According to the unified soil classification system (USCS), the soils can be classified as low plastic soil, location A is a medium plastic soil, while locations B, C, and D are highly plastic soils. The dry density and moisture content increases across all the locations as against the control, and the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) also increases across all the locations. The stabilization improves the soil’s strength and workability for the soil samples.