Effect of Granite Sand and Calcium Lignosulphonate on the Shrinkage Characteristic of Clay

Clay soils that undergo significant volume change due to seasonal moisture variations cause severe damage to the superstructure. The shrink-swell potential is quantified by relying on either shrinkage characteristics or by measuring the swelling characteristics. This study explains the shrinkage behavior of clay soil stabilized with granite sand (GS) and calcium lignosulphonate (CLS). CLS is used as a binder for clay-GS mix. The dosages of GS and CLS (by weight of soil dry mass) were maintained at 30%–50% and 0.5%–2%, respectively. With the increase in dosage of GS, the shrinkage limit increased by 88.46% at 50% dosage. This is attributed to the replacement of a fine fraction of the soil with GS. In similar lines, the addition of CLS increased the shrinkage limit to the maximum of 123% at 2% CLS dosage. This is attributed to the formation of a flocculated structure. In addition to this, the clay is blended with both GS and CLS in the combination of each of the dosages to know the response of shrinkage characteristics which will enhance its potential applicability for targeted civil engineering applications.