SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

1. Mention any four types of soils

1. Residual soils
2. Transported soils
3. Alluvial soils.
4. Aeoline soils.
5. Glacial soils.
6. Lacustrine soils.
7. Marine soils..
8. Sandy soil
9. Silty soil
10. Clay soil
11. Loamy Soil
12. Peaty Soil
13. Chalky Soil

2 .What is meant by soil stabilization?

Soil stabilization refers to the process of changing soil properties to improve strength
and durability. There are many techniques for soil stabilization, including compaction,
dewatering and by adding material to the soil.

Soil stabilization is designed to increase or maintain the stability of a soil mass or

otherwise to improve its engineering properties, as by increasing its shear strength,
reducing its compressibility, or decreasing its tendency to absorb water.

There are two primary methods-

1. Mechanical – most common form, it is the physical compaction of the soil

2. Chemical or additive – addition of cement, lime, bituminous or other chemical

agents

3. Name any four soil stabilizers

1. Portland cement

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 2. Lime

3. Fly ash

4. Calcium chloride

5. Bitumen

6. Chemical or Bio-remediation

4. What are straw bales?

Straw-bale construction is a environmentally friendly way to use natural materials to

building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, barley and oats
straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both. Research has shown that
straw-bale construction is a sustainable method for building, from the standpoint of
both materials and energy needed for heating and cooling.

Buildings that are created using straw bale construction are sturdy, relatively
inexpensive to build, and can be completed in less time than structures that are built
using traditional methods.

It is usually gathered and stored in a straw bale, which is a bundle of straw tightly
bound with twine or wire. Bales may be square, rectangular, or round, depending on
the type of baler used.

5. Give the Properties of straw bales

1. Straw bale construction is affordable

2. Straw bale walls are very well insulated, depending on the thickness of the
wall

3. Straw bale homes are more fire retardant than traditional stick-framed homes.

4. Stacking bales can be incredibly fast and easy.

5. Acoustics- good sound absorption

6. Resistance to pests

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 7. Resistance to fire

8. Structural properties

9. Multifunctional

10.Easily available

6. Four types of soils found in India

1. Laterite soils - These soils are rich in oxides of iron and aluminium but poor
in nitrogen, potash, phosphoric acid and lime content due to leaching; highly
acidic in nature.

2. Forest soils- Humus predominates in forest soil but it is deficient in potash,

phosphorous and lime.

3. Arid and desert soil- These soils, characterized by high salt and low humus
content.

4. Peaty and Organic -Developed as a result of accumulation of large quantity

of organic matter.

7. What is the composition of straw bales?

Straw bale construction uses baled straw from wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice and
others in walls covered by earthen or lime stucco .

8. Write any two applications of straw bales

1. Used as an insulating material

The quality of insulation that a straw bale wall provides depends on a number of
factors including the way the bales are stacked, the way the bales mesh
with the roof’s insulation, the type of plaster used, the quality of the plaster
work, and the design of the house itself, among many others.

2 .Straw bale homes are more fire retardant

The material’s resistance to fire comes from the concept that the bales are so tightly
packed that oxygen cannot enter in between the straws and fuel a fire.

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ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Explain the fundamentals of soil science AND explain the
characteristics of different types of soils used in buildings
Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth
including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological,
and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and
management of soils.

Soil is the thin layer on the surface of the Earth on which the living beings of the
earth survive since it is the layer of materials in which plants have their roots.
Soil is made up of many things like weathered rock particles and decayed plant and
animal matter.
It takes a long time for soil formation and more than thousand years for the formation
of a thin layer of soil.
Since soil is made up of such diverse materials like broken down rock particles and
organic material, it can be classified into various types, though based on the size of
the particles it contains.

Soil Types
There are three major types of classification
1. Geological soil classification
2. Agricultural soil classification
3. Unified soil classification
1.Geological Soil Classification

The type of classification is based on soils classified according to their origin, two
major classifications are-
a) Residual soils
b) Transported soils

a) Residual soils
 Soils which are formed by weathering of rocks may remain in position at the
place of region.
 The degree of disintegration may vary greatly throughout a residual soil mass
and hence, only a gradual transition into rock is to be expected.

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  An important characteristic of these soils is that the sizes of grains are not
definite because of the partially disintegrated condition. The grains may break
into smaller grains with the application of a little pressure.

b) Transported soils
 Transported soils may also be referred to as ‘Sedimentary’ soils.
 The sediments, formed by weathering of rocks, will be transported by
agencies such as wind and water to places far away from the place of origin
and get deposited when favorable conditions like a decrease of velocity occur.
 A high degree of alteration of particle shape, size, and texture as also sorting
of the grains occurs during transportation and deposition.
 A large range of grain sizes and a high degree of smoothness and fineness of
individual grains are the typical characteristics of such soils.

Transported soils may be further subdivided, depending upon the transporting

agency
and the place of deposition, as under:

a) Alluvial soils. Soils transported by rivers and streams: Sedimentary clays.

b) Aeoline soils. Soils transported by wind: loess.
c) Glacial soils. Soils transported by glaciers: Glacial till.
d) Lacustrine soils. Soils deposited in lake beds: Lacustrine silts and lacustrine
clays.
e) Marine soils. Soils deposited in sea beds: Marine silts and marine clays.

2.Agricultural Soil Classification

Depending on the size of the particles in the soil, it can be classified into these
following types:
1. Sandy soil
2. Silty soil
3. Clay soil
4. Loamy Soil
5. Peaty Soil
6. Chalky Soil

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1.Sandy Soil
 This type has the biggest particles and the size of the particles does
determine the degree of aeration and drainage that the soil allows.
 It is granular and consists of rock and mineral particles that are very small,
therefore the texture is gritty.
 sandy soil is formed by the disintegration and weathering of rocks such as
limestone, granite, quartz and shale.
 Sandy soil is easier to cultivate if it is rich in organic material but then it allows
drainage more than is needed, thus resulting in over-drainage and
dehydration of the plants in summer.
 It warms very fast in the spring season. So if you want to grow your plant in
sandy soil it is imperative that you water it regularly in the summers and give a
break in the winters and rainy season.
 sandy soil retains moisture and nutrients. In a way sandy soil is good for
plants since it lets the water go off so that it does not remain near the roots
and lead them to decay.

2.Silty Soil
 Silty soil is considered to be one of the most fertile of soils.
 It can occur in nature as soil or as suspended sediment in water column of a
water body on the surface of the earth.
 It is composed of minerals like Quartz and fine organic particles. It is granular
like sandy soil but it has more nutrients than sandy soil and it also offers
better drainage.
 In case silty soil is dry it has a smoother texture and looks like dark sand.
 This type of soil can hold more moisture and at times becomes compact. It
offers better drainage and is much easier to work with when it has moisture.

3.Clay Soil
 Clay is a kind of material that occurs naturally and consists of very fine
grained material with very less air spaces.

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  it is difficult to work with since the drainage in this soil is low, most of the time
there is a chance of water logging and harm to the roots of the plant.
 Clay soil becomes very heavy when wet and if cultivation has to be done,
organic fertilizers have to be added.
 Clay soil is formed after years of rock disintegration and weathering. It is also
formed as sedimentary deposits after the rock is weathered, eroded and
transported.

4.Loamy Soil
 This soil consists of sand, silt and clay to some extent. It is considered to be
the perfect soil.
 The texture is gritty and retains water very easily, yet the drainage is well.
 There are various kinds of loamy soil ranging from fertile to very muddy and
thick sod.
 Yet out of all the different kinds of soil loamy soil is the ideal for cultivation.

5.Peaty Soil

 This kind of soil is basically formed by the accumulation of dead and decayed
organic matter; it naturally contains much more organic matter than most of
the soils.

 It is generally found in marshy areas. The decomposition of the organic matter

in this soil is blocked by the acidity of the soil. This kind of soil is formed in wet
climate.

 Though the soil is rich in organic matter, nutrients present are fewer in this soil
type than any other type.

 Peaty soil is prone to water logging, but if the soil is fertilized well and the
drainage of the soil is looked after, it can be the ideal for growing plants.

6.Chalky Soil

 Unlike peaty soil, chalky soil is very alkaline in nature and consists of a large
number of stones.

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  The fertility of this kind of soil depends on the depth of the soil that is on the
bed of chalk.

 This kind of soil is prone to dryness and in summers it is a poor choice for
plantation, as the plants would need much more watering and fertilizing than
on any other type of soil.

 Chalky soil, apart from being dry also blocks the nutritional elements for the
plants like iron and magnesium.

3.Unified soil classification

The USCS is based on the characteristics of the soil that indicate how it will behave
as a construction material.
In the USCS, all soils are placed into one of three major categories. They are—
a) Coarse-grained.
b) Fine-grained.
c) Highly organic.

The USCS further divides soils that have been classified into the major soil
categories by letter symbols, such as—
S for sand.
G for gravel.
M for silt.
C for clay.

The soil properties that form the basis for the Unified Soil Classification System are
the—
 Percentage of gravels, sands, and fines.
 Shape of the grain-size distribution curve.
 Plasticity.

a)Coarse-grained soil
Coarse-grained soils are defined as those in which at least half the material is
retained on a Number 200 sieve. They are divided into two major divisions, which
are—
a) Gravels.

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 b) Sands.
b)Fine-Grained Soils
Fine-g-rained soils are those in which more than half the material passes a Number
200 sieve. The fine-grained soils are not classified by grain size but according to
plasticity and compressibility.

c)Highly Organic Soils

A special classification, (Pt), is reserved for the highly organic soils, such as peat,
which have many undesirable engineering characteristics. No laboratory criteria are
established for these soils, as they generally can be easily identified in the field by
their distinctive color and odor, spongy feel, and frequently fibrous texture. Particles
of leaves, grass, branches, or other fibrous vegetable matter are common
components of these soils.