MECHANICAL STABILIZATION OF DUNE SAND USING REFRACTORY BRICK WASTE: EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF COMPACTION, SHEAR STRENGTH AND CBR
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Abstract
Dune sand is widely available but its low cohesion, relatively uniform grading and limited bearing resistance can restrict its direct use in pavement and other geotechnical works. This study investigates mechanical stabilization of dune sand by partial replacement with refractory brick waste (RBW), treating an industrial/construction waste as a granular modifier. The experimental programme comprised particle-size characterization, Standard Proctor compaction, direct shear testing and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) testing for 0, 10, 20 and 30% RBW mixtures. The source thesis reports a dune sand specific gravity of 2.67, bulk density of 1.62 g/cm³ and water absorption of 1.25%; RBW has a specific gravity of 2.64 and water absorption of 0.2%. The tabulated results show that OMC increases from 16.5% for untreated sand to 17.2% at 20–30% RBW, while MDD decreases from 1.80 to 1.77 g/cm³. The reported direct-shear parameters increase from c = 0 and φ = 10.15° for sand to c = 0.131 kg/cm² and φ = 12.08° at 20% RBW, before decreasing at 30%. CBR values are reported as 2.25, 3.456, 4.19 and 4.19% under soaked conditions for 0, 10, 20 and 30% RBW, respectively. Recent literature confirms that waste-derived granular and reactive materials can improve aeolian-sand grading, bearing capacity and sustainability. The combined evidence indicates that RBW is a promising mechanical stabilizer; however, the manuscript identifies an internal inconsistency in the original thesis between the tabulated shear parameters and the stated 10% optimum, which should be verified against the original laboratory sheets before journal submission.
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