Experimental study on Reduction of dispersion potential by adding nano Al2O3 and lime

Dispersive soils are among the most important problematic soils in earth structures, especially earth dam projects. Lime and aluminum sulfate are common and traditional additives for stabilization of dispersive soils due to the proper replacement of calcium or aluminum ions instead of sodium ions. Considering the progress of nanotechnology and using its in soil improvement, in this study, nano-sized aluminum oxide powder was used to improve dispersive soil. Five different nano material ratios (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1% by weight of dry clay) were mixed with a dispersive clay and four different lime contents (0, 2, 4 and 6% by weight of dry clay) and the dispersion potential of mixtures are obtained from double hydrometer test. The results show that increasing nano Al2O3 greatly reduced the percentage of dispersion. Adding 1% nano-Al2O3 in dispersive clay has diminished 64% the potential of dispersion. In samples with containing 2% lime, only 0.2% of the nano material has been able to place the soil in non-dispersive category.