HomeUIC Research Journalvol. 19 no. 2 (2013)

WASTE PLASTIC AS SOIL BEARING CAPACITY ENHANCER

Ruben M. Ruiz | Renan P. Limjuco | Ebony Joseph B. Dolino | Michelle T. llaban | Jeric N. Maratas | Mechael I. Zabala

 

Abstract:

The necessity of improving the engineering properties of soil has been recognized; therefore, it is very important to find ways to enhance the weak soil, and using plastic waste is one promising way of doing it. The primary objective of this study was to compare the bearing capacity of the two types of soil (Clay and Item-201) in different concentrations of plastics, namely, at 0%, 0.5%, and 1%. Primarily, this investigation aimed to compare the California bearing ratio (CBR) of the two types of soil each with three concentrations of plastic. This study made use of the experimental design, specifically posttest design only to determine the effectiveness of using recycled waste plastic as soil bearing capacity enhancer. Findings revealed that in terms of the type of soil, there is a significant difference in California bearing ratio between clay and Item 201 (p-value < 0.05). On the other hand, the California bearing ratio of the soil samples in various concentrations are not the same. As with the interaction between the type of soil and the waste plastic, a two-way ANOVA reveals that there is significant interaction between them that might have influenced California bearing ratio in the soil (p-value < 0.05).