Effect of Pore Water Salinity and Fine Sand on Unconfined Strength and Elasticity Module of Clay Soils

Construction of proper foundation for water structures such as canals increases their long life. One of the effective factors in this issue is soil strength condition. Chemical compounds of the soil affect its strength and change its bearing capacity. Sodium and Calcium are the most important cations in the soil and water resources. In recent years, because of its environmental compatibility and economic advantages, fine sand has been used widely as an additive amendment for soil remediation. In this research, the effect of calcium chloride and sodium chloride as well as fine sand, as additive material, on the strength characteristics of clay soil have been investigated. In this regard, the additive materials (salt and sand) were added to the clay soil at four different levels (0, 5, 10, 20 and 0, 5, 10, 15 percent of the soil dry weight, respectively) and specimens were provided by static compaction method. The specimens were subjected to an unconfined compressive strength test after two curing times of 7 and 28 days.  The results showed increasing sodium chloride decreases the strength characteristics of the soil and adding fine sand does not have any significant effect on this trend. Also, adding 5 percent sand and calcium chloride to the clay soil caused to obtain maximum unconfined compressive strength and elasticity module of it. On the base of the results, adding calcium chloride improve soil strength relatively but not as much as other common additives, such as lime. Moreover, for increasing the strength of soils with large amounts of sodium chloride, soil leaching is suggested as a proper solution before foundation construction of the structures.