Assessing the Improvement of Geotechnical Properties of Clayey Soil Using a Substrate Cement Mortar Material, from Ilgin, Konya City, Turkey

The increase in needs and the decrease in places with good, usable foundation soil have made the construction of engineering structures on problematic soils mandatory. Problematic soils generally do not have sufficient bearing capacity and soil strength, which may create an environment prone to high settlement or liquefaction. To investigate potential ways to enhance the compaction, undesirable or problematic plasticity, and soil’s strength characteristics, various geotechnical tests have been carried out on clayey soils and their mixtures treated with a Substrate Cement Mortar (0, 4, 8, and 12% by weight). These tests involved Atterberg limits, dry density, compaction, and shear strength. The obtained results show that the addition of substrate cement materials increased the dry density of soil treated with SCM, which can significantly enhance the soil properties. Meanwhile, adding SCM decreased the soil's plasticity limits. Furthermore, adding 12% Substrate Cement Mortar resulted in the lowest optimum moisture content and the maximum dry unit weight. Soil treated with 12% also exhibits maximum cohesion and shear strength. This research led to the conclusion that the utilization of Substrate Cement Mortar additive is an inexpensive product and has significantly improved the soil’s geotechnical parameters.