Consolidation Behaviour of Geotextile Reinforced Black Cotton Soil

Abstract

In a developing nation like India, fast boom of population, speedy urbanization and further the construction of buildings and other structures has brought about depletion of precise high-quality present land. This creates a limitation and hence people have no choice, except to use soft and fragile soils around for building activities. Such soil is weak in shear strength and possesses high swelling & shrinkage. The geotechnical properties of these soils have to be improved by providing stabilization and reinforcement techniques to make it acceptable for construction activities. Black cotton soil is one of the key issues faced by engineers in India. When this soil is subjected to variation in moisture content it undergoes high swelling and shrinkage making it more complicated for engineering point of view. Use of any waste materials in soil stabilization is both environmental and engineering favourable. These solid wastes are gradually increasing in India, which is not environmental friendly and hence have to be recycled. Copper slag is one of the waste materials that are being produced in abundance. Copper slag can be classified as a non-hazardous by-product. The porosity of copper slag is more and, thus, its particle size is similar to that of the coarse sand.