Variation in Compressibility and Shear Strength Parameters of Coal Ash

Abstract

The main problem with the flyash are its disposal, storage, environmental effects and the ecological consequences. Growing research in this field has made civil engineers think to provide standard results and test procedures for estimation of various engineering characteristics and other parameters of fly ash. Keeping this thing in view, compressibility and shear strength parameters for fly ash of Ropar Thermal Plant has been estimated and analysed in this work. The compressibility parameters like collapse potential, compression index and swelling index are obtained from single oedometer tests. Shear parameters like shear strength, angle of internal friction, volume change behaviour and dilation angle has been obtained from computerized direct shear tests. Normal distribution has been used to show the variation in these parameters. Collapse potential, compression index and swelling index values have been plotted against stress. Angle of internal friction has been plotted against relative density. Collapse potential, compression index and shear strength increase with increase in stress level at a given degree of compaction. Volume change behaviour of the fly ash has been shown at different stress levels and degree of compaction. At lower degree of compaction volume change behaviour of flyash is same as that of loose sand.