Effect of Plastic Strips and Bottom Ash on Engineering Properties of Sandy Soil

Scarcity of land with favorable conditions has raised due to the rapid development of urban areas and the increase in construction activities. This has necessitated the use of locally available weak soils for construction activities through stabilization techniques. In the present study, bottom ash (BA) is used as a stabilizing agent, and the suitability of plastic strips as reinforcement is demonstrated through detailed experimental investigations. Soils poor in engineering properties in terms of bearing capacity, shear strength, compressibility and permeability need some proper treatment so that they can be useful in construction purposes. Such soils need to be either replaced or treated well with some materials. This paper deals with the valorization of sandy soil with the use of bottom ash in various percentages of 10, 20, 30 and 50% along with plastic strips of 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 1.25%. The laboratory research indicated that the mechanical properties of the soil are improved with the addition of bottom ash and plastic strips. Test method includes finding unit weight, specific gravity, unconfined compressive strength, peak strength, cohesion and angle of internal friction.