Using recycled crushed concrete columns to stabilize fully saturated silty clay soil

The object of the study is the improvement of fully saturated silty clay soil using columns of recycled crushed concrete. ASTM D 2166 - Standard Test Procedure for Unconfined Compressive Strength of Cohesive Soil is used to apply the axial load. This work aims to examine how recycled crushed concrete affects settlement control and bearing capacity by 38%, increasing the initial soil state and reducing swelling from 14.75% to 5.66% in 7 days. The research also examined the variation in subgrade modulus and the cause of a shallow circular footing's failure on the soil where silt clay layer soil had been substituted with recycled broken concrete. The results demonstrated that combining a partly replaced column of silty clay soil and a column of recycled crushed concrete significantly preload-bearing capability. The approach may drastically alter the footing's stress displacement curve when resting on silty clay soil, reduce settlement, swelling, and shrinkage, and make the replacement soil block within the container act as a deep foundation. Consequently, a foundation supported by silty clay may change its bearing capacity failure mechanism at the top of a column constructed of recycled crushed concrete from exclusive settling to general bearing capacity failure—the use of fills with shattered concrete, whether natural or artificial, is growing. Hence, research into this material's bearing and deformation properties is essential for application areas such as road construction, soil replenishment, and embankments.