Stabilization of problematic soil by utilizing cementitious materials

Due to the urbanization and the need to develop the transportation services, it is inevitable to deal with ground characterized by undesirable geotechnical properties. The problematic soils are divided into swelling soils, collapsible and dispersive soils. The arid to semiarid climate of the Middle East has provided the conditions for the expansion of them. The presence of problematic soils in Iraqi Kurdistan has given rise to many damage to the construction projects of this region. The under-construction road of Gali Ali Bag designed in the vicinity of the Erbil-Haji Omeran highway in Iraqi Kurdistan was faced with pavement settlement and collapse of side slopes due to the passing through the collapsible soils. The presence of collapsible soils in the vicinity of the aforesaid international highway grew concerns about the occurrence of such settlements during its construction. Therefore, how to treat or reduce the collapsibility, especially by the use of practical methods on the site, was addressed as one of the major challenges. In this study, the behavior of treated host soil by four cementitious materials including cement, quicklime, gypsum and NaCl was determined by applying indirect and direct methods. The results show that the addition of 6% quicklime will have the greatest effect on the reduction in collapsibility. After implementing this plan on the site, the collapsibility index decreased by an average of 2.92%.