Enhancement of the Bearing Capacity of Lateritic soil Using Pulverized Cow Bone

Abstract

This study investigated the use of pulverized cow bone (PCB) as a means of enhancing the bearing capacity of lateritic soil. A series of laboratory tests were conducted, including compaction tests, soaked and unsoaked CBR tests, and penetration tests on soil-PCB mixtures. The results showed that the addition of PCB to lateritic soil improved the maximum dry density, decreased the optimum moisture content, and increased the unsoaked and soaked CBR values of the soil. The maximum unsoaked CBR value of the soil-PCB mixture was 8.39%, which was obtained with a proportion of 94:6 (soil:PCB) while the maximum soaked CBR value of the soil-PCB mixture was 51.8%, which was obtained with a proportion of 8% PCB. Furthermore, the penetration test results revealed that the addition of PCB increased the load-bearing capacity of the soil. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of PCB as a stabilizing agent has the potential to enhance the bearing capacity of lateritic soil and could be a sustainable and cost-effective method for soil stabilization in civil engineering applications.