Investigation the use of nanoclays on the modification of Aeolian Sand

Nano-clays are a broad class of naturally occurring inorganic minerals in the form of plate-like of aluminosilicate layers with thickness between 1 nanometer to 10 micrometers. Due to the very small sizes of nanoparticle, they provide a large specific surface area which capable them to absorb water and fill the voids within the soil particles. The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of nano-clays for modifying the engineering properties of aeolian sand. The aeolian sand covers a large areas in Central Iran and their movements affect directly on the performance and stability of infrastructures such railways and roads networks of the region. The mineral composition of the sand mainly consists of quartz grains and the soil type is classified as poorly graded materials. In order to evaluate the effect of micro and nano clay on modification the geotechnical properties of the sand, different percentage of 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 4% of micro and nano clays were mixed with the sand and number of tests such as compaction test, direct shear test are conducted on the samples. The result shows that maximum dry unit weight and lowest optimum moisture content were obtained when 4% nano-clay mixed with the sand. It was also was noted that the increment of nano-clay and micro-clay causes gradual increases and gradual decreases of the shear strength of the sample, respectively.