COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE SHEAR STRENGTH PROPERTY OF SOIL AND RICE HUSK ASH SOIL COMPOSITE AS AN ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIAL IN THE MODERN LEAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Aim: The effects on shear strength characteristics of soil due to inclusion of rice husk ash (RHA) with soil are evaluated in this study. Materials and Methods: Direct shear test is conducted for two groups of soil samples to study the differences in their shear strength characteristics (group 1: soil without RHA group N = 17; group 2: soil with RHA group N = 17). Pre-test power and confidence intervals were chosen as 80% and 95% respectively for sample size calculation. Result: Test results show that cohesion of soil increases due to addition of RHA with soil. There is a significant difference (2 tailed) between two groups of soil as the value of p is 0.0001 for cohesion in statistical analysis. Conclusion: RHA can be used as a partial replacement material in place of costly fine aggregate in the earthfills of road infrastructures effectively.