Study of the behavior of clay mixtures for the treatment of glass and concrete waste in road construction

This research aimed at the stabilization of clay, which is often prone to problems such as swelling and sliding. Indeed, the addition of glass and concrete waste to these clays can offer an ideal solution for their stabilization, by interestingly modifying their geotechnical properties. In the overall context of recycling and the development of the public works sector in Morocco, there is a significant demand for clay. The main objective of this study is the reuse of glass and concrete waste, combined with natural clay, in road construction. In addition to the adverse effects on the environment, the excessive exploitation of clay seriously threatens the supply of projects. Thus, the exploitation of new clay sources appears as a future solution. Indeed, different natural materials such as clay, marl, as well as recycled materials such as concrete and glass debris, are identified to form clay mixtures with varying proportions of glass and concrete (ranging from 30% glass and 30% concrete to 30% glass + 30% concrete). These mixtures undergo several series of mechanical tests, including Proctor compaction tests, CBR bearing capacity tests, and oedometer tests. The work also involves conducting oedometer tests on the natural clay used as a reference and on clay mixtures with crushed glass and concrete waste at different percentages. It was found that the addition of glass and concrete to clay reduces swelling and settlement indices, while modifying the intrinsic characteristics of clay. The obtained results are very interesting and open a wide range of possibilities for the reuse of the studied materials in the field of civil engineering in general, and specifically in road construction.