Métodos para controlar el potencial expansivo en suelos arcillosos de la ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

There are different types of soil’s properties that can complicate structures above them, a clear example are the expansive soils. These materials suffer changes in their volume due to the variation of water content in their pores. By increasing their water content, they swell and generate expansion pressures, in certain cases is so high that they even lift up structures; to the contrary, when these soils lose moisture, they suffer contractions, which are equally harmful to structures. There are several methods to control this unwanted behavior in expansive soils. In the following work, three types of expansive soils of the city of Cuenca will be analyzed, and the one with the most unfavorable properties will be selected, later different treatments will be applied to control their expansive potential, the effect of each treatment will be verified. The soil to be used will be selected from soils coming from the sections of Baños, Challuabamba and Miraflores; of all the soils will be characterized, through laboratory tests such as: method of sieve analysis and hydrometer, Atterberg limits, free expansion, pressure expansion, test tube method, Lambe method, and tests in unaltered and remodeled soils. Subsequently, different types of chemical treatments will be applied to stabilize the most expansive soil; additives such as lime, cement, fly ash, silica fume (SikaFume) and gypsum will be used. The procedure will consist in adding different stabilizers to the remodeled soil with a specific dosage for each one; later review the swelling presented by the improved soil samples, and together with a brief analysis of costs and environmental impact, choose the most appropriate method to reduce the expansive nature of the soil.