Preliminary Assessment of Guar Gum Biopolymer Amended Expansive Soil on Strength Characteristics
Preliminary Assessment of Guar Gum Biopolymer Amended Expansive Soil on Strength Characteristics
An expansive soil presents significant geotechnical problems due to its swelling potential. The current paper discusses the applicability of guar gum as a soil stabilizer. The paper is based on assessing its performance on the geotechnical characteristics of expansive soils in terms of California Bearing Ratio (CBR). Laboratory tests focused on expansive soil samples and guar gum at concentrations of 0.5% to 2%. CBR values from soil were calculated under varied treatment conditions. The percentage concentration of guar gum improves the values, which are very significant in establishing good strength along with stability properties within the soil sample. Microstructure investigations reflect how guar gum catalyses the formation of bond by a mechanism of bio-mediation within soil and enhances load carrying while suppressing swelling-induced deformation effects. The aforementioned results demonstrate how guar gum may be used as a promising biopolymer material to improve soil strength and stability.
Neha Raj; Subburaj Selvakumar; K. Muthukkumaran
2025 International Conference on Bio-mediated and Bio-inspired Geotechnics (ICBBG2025)
Special symposium: Biopolymer treated soils
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICBBG2025-110
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