An investigation on the consistency limits of cohesive soils improved with rice husk ash

Abstract

Superstructure loads are transferred to the ground via foundations. If the ground is not
capable of supporting the high building loads, serious structural problems may arise. In
order to overcome these problems, ground improvement works are considered as the
first alternative before using deep foundations since deep foundation constructions
cause significant additional cost to the project budgets. Soil improvement is a generalized
definition for the applications-based targeting to increase the engineering properties of
the soils. Consistency limits are the water content values of cohesive soils at which the
behavior changes from liquid to plastic or plastic to solid. These values significantly affect
the mechanical behavior of soils. For this reason, ground improvement methodologies
specifically developed to alter the consistency behavior of soils can be an economic
alternative in construction projects. Within the scope of this study, the consistency limits
of the cohesive soils improved with rice husk ash, an organic waste product, were
investigated by laboratory studies.