Improvement of marl and dune sand
for highway construction in arid areas
H. I. Al-Abdul Wahhab* and I. M. Asi
* Department of Civil Engineering, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261,
Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Major parts of the Eastern Province
of Saudi Arabia
are covered with windblown dune sand which is characterized as poorly-graded
soil with high permeability. Also, marl, which is available in abundance in
this region, has poor strength. It is usually required to use these materials
as subgrade layers or as a backfill in base and subbase layers of roads and highways. Because of the low strength
characteristics of these materials and the high water table in the region, some
sort of stabilization is needed to improve the characteristics of these
materials. In this research, slow-setting emulsified asphalt and medium-curing
cutback asphalt were used to stabilize both marl and dune sand. Lime and
Portland cement (2% and 4%) were added to the stabilized soils to
accelerate the curing process and to reduce stability loss due to water damage.
It was found that the stabilizing agents improved both shear strength and
resistance of the analyzed soils to water damage. It was observed that Portland
cement was more effective than lime.
Building and Environment
Volume 32, Issue 3 ,
May 1997, Pages 271-279