STABILIZATION OF CLAY SOIL USING NATURAL COIR FIBER

Soil is the major and most commonly used material in the field of Civil Engineering. Where ever it is used construction, foundation, bricks, pavements it should provide considerable strength for the stability of the structure. There are various types of soil present in the earth depending upon the material property, size, texture, various properties. In that clay soil is one of its type a fine-grained natural rock or soil material that combines one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Depending upon the material composition clay also posses various properties. It is slow to drain, quickly to harden, and difficult to use for anything because of its finer particle size. Black cotton soil is a kind of expansive soil in which it expands in its volume in wet condition and shrinks in dry condition. Some situations construction on the clay soil is not avoidable one therefore soil stabilization is one of the most commonly used methods to increase the engineering properties of the soil, as a result of soil stabilization, the bearing capacity of the foundation of the structure is increased and its strength, water tightness, resistance to washout. The basic methods of stabilization are cementation, bituminization, silicification, resinification, methods using electrochemical or thermal action, and artificial freezing. These methods can cause some effects on the environment. In the context of sustainable development the natural environment, the use of natural Fibres such as coir in geotechnical applications is desirable. Reinforcing the soil with coir Fibres/coir geo-textiles is a cost effective solution to the ground/soil improvement problems. This experimental study deals with the use of coconut Fibre for soil stability. The study includes the properties of coir Fibre and clay and experimental workouts such as tri-axial test, Stress state during a tri-axial test, California bearing ratio, unconfined compression test, direct shear test.