Mechanical behavior of silty-clayey lateritic soil stabilized with recycled municipal solid waste ash

Due to the ever growing need to incorporate ecofriendly and sustainable materials in construction projects, this research study was carried out with the purpose of exploring the feasibility of utilizing recycled municipal solid waste ash (RMSWA) as a sustainable material for stabilizing clayey lateritic soils (LS).The research was aimed at investigating the effect of incorporating varying amounts of RMSWA on the engineering properties of weak soils. Laterite specimens were incorporated with the varying ash contents at intervals of 3%, 6%, 9%, 12% and 15% as replacement levels, and tested for Atterberg limits, compaction and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) behavior. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) test was conducted to determine the morphology changes in the soil when blended with RMSWA contents at curing ages of 1, 7 and 14 days. Based on the results of UCS test, stress – strain behavior, load – deformation relationships curves were also established and analyzed. Results from the Atterberg limit test revealed that the plastic index, plastic limit, liquid limit ranged between 1.6-11.9%, 20.6-24.5% and 26.1-35.0%. The maximum dry density of the samples increased with the ash inclusion, with the maximum dry density value of 2020Kg/m3 achieved at 6% ash inclusion, thus making it suitable in laterite stabilization.