Influence of Nano-Silica, Lime and Fly Ash on the Compaction Characteristics of an Expansive Black Cotton Soil from Central India

Authors

  • Hitesh Kumar M. Tech. Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201310, INDIA
  • Utkarsh Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201310, INDIA
  • Sphurty Raman Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Sharda University, Greater Noida, 201310, INDIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.icaces.14

Keywords:

black cotton soil, nano-silica, lime, fly ash, compaction, optimum moisture content, maximum dry density

Abstract

The compaction characteristics of a high-plasticity black cotton soil from Wardha district in Maharashtra were investigated after the addition of a ternary stabiliser (colloidal nano-silica, hydrated lime and class F fly ash). Each of the seven blended mixes (M1-M7) containing different amounts of nano silica (1-5%), lime (4-8%) and fly ash (10-20%) by dry mass was compared with the untreated soil using the standard proctor test; each soil mix had 5 replicate samples. The soil properties of the untreated soil were: Optimum moisture content (OMC) of 24.5% and Maximum dry density (MDD) of 1.564 g/cm³. The addition of stabiliser gave a consistent shift in the compaction curve to the left and up: the OMC decreased to as low as 19.5% while the MDD increased to 1.82 g/cm³ for the richest mix. Both the decrease in moisture requirement and the densification showed good correlation with the decrease in plasticity index caused by the cation exchange and pozzolanic flocculation. It has been found that the use of relatively small doses of nano-silica, in combination with lime and fly ash, is capable of changing the moulding properties of an otherwise difficult subgrade material that is a suitable form for field compaction.

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References

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Published

2026-06-12

How to Cite

Kumar, H., Utkarsh, & Raman, S. (2026). Influence of Nano-Silica, Lime and Fly Ash on the Compaction Characteristics of an Expansive Black Cotton Soil from Central India. Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology, 5(1), 124–129. https://doi.org/10.55544/jrasb.icaces.14

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Special Issue : ICACES 2025

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Hitesh Kumar, Utkarsh, Sphurty Raman

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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