ACTA GEOTECHNICA SLOVENICA, vol.11, no.1, pp.19-27, 2014 (SCI-Expanded)
The use of industrial wastes in soil stabilization not only provides for the re-use of waste materials, which may cause environmental pollution, but also leads to cost benefits. In this context, the use of industrial wastes in the stabilization of fine-grained soils has become a research topic in recent years. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential use of granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) in clayey soil stabilization. In this study, the GBFS obtained from the Iskenderun iron-steel plant as an industrial waste was ground into two different fineness levels, and the effects of their incorporation into low-plasticity Kolsuz clay and high-plasticity bentonite clay in various rates (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 50%) on the particle weight of unit volume, the consistency limits, and the compaction parameters are investigated. Based on the experimental results, it is clear that the GBFS has a positive effect on the stabilization of both clayey soils. It was also concluded that the improvement in bentonite clay is greater than that in Kolsuz clay. Thus, GBFS seems to be a promising material for the stabilization of clayey soils.