Influence of Granulated Mild Steel Sludge on Consistency Limits and Strength Charcteristics of an Expansive Soil

Expansive soils pose certain difficulties to construction activities and hence require stabilization prior to the start of work. Apart from conventional methods, studies are going on to use waste products from various industries as additives in problematic soils to improve engineering properties of soil and make them suitable for construction activities. The present study aims at finding the effectiveness of mild steel sludge as an additive for stabilizing an expansive soil. Consistency limit tests and unconfined compressive strength tests have been conducted on remoulded samples of an expansive soil treated with various percentages (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 percent) of granulated mild steel sludge to assess the effect on liquid limit and plastic limit, and strength characteristics. It has been observed that there is a decrease in the value of consistency limits and an increase in strength of soil on addition of granulated mild steel sludge.