Optimization of Fly-Ash to Soil Mix Ratio and Curing Period for Subgrade Use

M A Karim

doi:10.18282/ice.v0i0.91

M A Karim Kennesaw State University http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9663-4443

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18282/ice.v0i0.91

Keywords: Fly-ash, soil stabilization, optimization of fly-ash content

Abstract

A laboratory study was conducted to determine the optimum fly-ash to soil ratio that can be used as a road subgrade to improve strength and compactability. Proctor compaction, grain size distribution, Atterberg limits, and unconfined compression tests were conducted. Proctor compaction test was conducted to determine the optimum moisture content and maximum dry density of soil samples with 0%, 40%, 50%, and 60% fly-ash content. Atterberg limits and grain size distribution tests were conducted to classify the soil. Unconfined compression test was conducted with air-dry curing periods of 0, 2, 8, and 28 days to determine the strength. Curing periods help understand the strength gained with time. It is obvious from the study that the optimum soil to fly-ash mixture was a mixture of soil and 50% fly-ash which is expected to perform better as subgrade materials for a curing period of 8 days; however, a mixture of soil with 40% fly-ash content could also be used as a viable alternative for the same curing period.

Author Biography

M A Karim, Kennesaw State University

Dr. M. A. Karim has more than 27 years of experience in teaching, research, government regulations, and consulting. He had his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 1989 and 1992, respectively. He spent about six years as a full-time faculty at BUET. He came to USA in 1995 and finished his Ph.D. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Cleveland State University, Ohio in 2000. He worked about three years for ALLTEL Information Services in Twinsburg, Ohio as an Applications Programmer. Then he worked about eight years (in two different times) for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) as a Senior Environmental Engineer (Solid Waste Permit Writer) and taught at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as an Affiliate Professor before he went to Trine University in January 2008, as a full-time Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering. He taught part-time at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) while employed at Trine University. During his time at Trine University he taught a course for VCU on-line using Wimba class room. He also taught at Stratford University, Richmond, Virginia campus as an adjunct faculty while working for VDEQ. Since Fall of 2011, he has been working for Kennesaw State University, Marietta Campus (the then Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), Marietta, Georgia, merged with Kennesaw State University in January 2015) as a full-time faculty in Civil and Construction Engineering. He is a registered professional engineer for the State of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the state of Georgia. He has more than twenty five journal and proceeding publications and three professional reports in the area of soil and sediment remediation, environmental management, statistical hydrology, project based learning, and engineering education. He is a member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). He is also an ABET EAC Program Evaluator Volunteer (ABET EAC PEV) for civil engineering program. You can visit his website at http://facultyweb.kennesaw.edu/mkarim4 for further details. His research interests are soil and sediment characterization, decontamination, and remediation, solid and hazardous waste treatment and management, and wastewater treatment and reclamation.
The other important links are:
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/dr-m-a-karim-p-e/14/a46/b33
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/M_A_Karim
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=yGrbN08AAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate

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