Shear Strength and Collapsibility of Gypseous Soil Improved by Nanomaterials

Abstract The current research focuses on studying the effect of nanomaterials (nano clay and nano-metakaolin) on the collapsibility and shear strength of gypseous soils before and after soaking. This study also addresses the effect of nanomaterials on physical properties such as specific gravity, soil density, and permeability of gypseous soils. A sample of gypseous soils obtained from the city of Tikrit, which is located 200 km north of Baghdad, and which contains 54% gypsum content. Gypseous soil samples were mixed with three percentages of nanomaterials (1, 2, and 3) % calculated on the basis of the dry weight of the soil to measure their effect on the geotechnical properties of the soil samples. The probability of collapse of gypseous soil decreases with increasing nanomaterial content. The shear strength also increases with increasing nanomaterial content and increasing curing period