Investigation into Effectiveness of By-pass Cement Dust as Soil Stabilizer in Road Construction

Abstract

By-pass cement dust (BPCD) is produced in large amounts during the process of cement manufacturing and renders the cement industry classified as highly pollutant. Nonetheless, because of its physical characteristics and chemical reactivity, BPCD has being used in several industries and construction works. This paper discusses the effectiveness of BPCD as a soil stabilizer in road construction works. The effectiveness is evaluated in terms of results of the modified Proctor test and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test conducted on soils mixed with different contents of BPCD. The presented results and discussions indicate that BPCD is effective in stabilizing soils that are commonly used in road construction works in Egypt. For the test soil and the range of BPCD content considered in this investigation, BPCD could increase the maximum dry unit weight and CBR value of the test soil by approximately 18.9 and 90.0%, respectively. On the basis of the obtained results, two good correlations that can be used in designing BPCD-stabilization works could be established. The first correlation shows that the maximum dry unit weight increases exponentially with the increase in BPCD content. However, the other correlation reveals that the CBR value increases linearly with the increase in BPCD content.