Improvement of mechanical properties by waste sawdust ash addition into soil

Abstract EN

The objective of this paper is to utilize waste sawdust ash in a beneficial way for geotechnical purposes.

The amount of sawdust generated every year constitutes up to 10-13 % of the total volume of wood log.

Such an enormous amount serves as waste material for landfill and is not utilized.

Effective utilization of waste sawdust ash to enhance the engineering properties of soil could result in a solution of the landfill problem, which was the objective of this study.

Permeability and direct shear tests were conducted to analyze the impact of waste sawdust ash on the properties of soil.

After noticing the behavior, the optimum quantity of (12 %) SDA was selected and further compaction and shrinkage limit tests on soil with 12 % SDA were conducted.

Dry density of the soil was improved by 7.8 %, permeability was reduced by 71.8 % and shrinkage limit was increased.

Further, there was an increase of 22.14 % in the friction angle with the addition of 12 % sawdust ash and shear strength parameters were improved significantly.

Overall, SDA had a positive effect on the geotechnical properties of the soil and it can be used as admixture in soil.

This will not only solve the waste disposal problem, but will also improve the strength characteristics of soil.