Compression behaviour of highly expansive clays stabilised with a green stabiliser of magnesium chloride

Abstract

The presence of expansive clays underlying infrastructures has been responsible for damages to the structures in many cases all over the world when the moisture content of these problematic soils changes. One of the effective methods to alleviate the swell potential of expansive clays is to stabilize them with an additive such as lime, cement, resins, chemicals and so on. In this study, the use of magnesium chloride (MgCl 2 ) as a green stabilizer to improve the geotechnical properties of the treated clays has been investigated by conducting several laboratory tests. Currently, MgCl 2 is mainly used as an anti-icing materials in pavement industry; however, it has been recently received more attention as a stabilizer for clayey soils. Firstly, the effect of MgCl 2 on the consistency limits of the treated clayey soils was studied in this study. Next, the swell pressure and free swell strain of the treated samples were measured and the results compared with one of the untreated samples. Overall, the results state that even a small dose of MgCl 2 can be used as a stabilizer for expansive clays to improve the geotechnical properties considerably and to mitigate their swell potential effectively.