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SOIL STABILISATION

Stabilization in a broad sense incorporates the various methods employed for modifying the
properties of a soil to improve its engineering performance. Stabilization is being used for a
variety of engineering works, the most common application being in the construction of road
and airfield pavements, where the main objective is to increase the strength or stability of
soil and to reduce the construction cost by making best use of locally available materials.

Principles Of Stabilization:

Natural soil is both a complex and variable material. Yet because of its universal availability
and its low cost winning it offers great opportunities for skilful use as an engineering
material.

Not uncommonly, however the soil at any particular locality is unsuited, wholly or partially, to
the requirements of the construction engineer. A basic decision must therefore be made
whether to:
• Accept the site material as it is and design to standards sufficient to meet the restrictions
imposed by its existing quality.
• Remove the site material and replace with a superior material.
• Alter the properties of existing soil so as to create a new site material capable of better
meeting the requirements of the task in hand.

The latter choice, the alteration of soil properties to meet specific engineering requirements
is known as “Soil stabilization.”

It must also be recognized that stabilization not necessarily a magic wand by which every
soil property is changed for the better. Correct usage demands a clear recognition of which
soil properties must be upgraded, and this specific engineering requirement is an important
element in the decision whether or not to stabilize. Properties of soil may be altered in many
ways, among which are included chemical, thermal, mechanical and other means.

The chief properties of a soil with which the construction engineer is concerned are: volume
stability, strength, permeability, and durability.
Methods of stabilization may be grouped under two main types:
1. modification or improvement of a soil property of the existing soil without any admixture.
2. Modification of the properties with the help of admixtures.

Compaction and drainage are the examples of the first type, which improve the inherent
shear strength of soil.
Examples of the second type are: mechanical stabilization, stabilization with cement, lime,
bitumen and chemicals etc,.

LIME STABILIZATION:

Stabilization of soils with hydrated lime is applicable to far heavier clayey soils and is less
suitable for granular materials and second it is used more widely as a construction expedient
that is to prepare a soil for further treatment or to render a sufficient improvement to support
construction traffic. As a temporary measure such modification or stabilization need not
necessarily affected to the standards required for permanentconstruction. Quick lime or lime
slurries may also be used for excessively wet or dry conditions respectively. It is therefore a
very versatile stabilizer.

In roads lime stabilization is widely used for sub-base construction or sub grade
improvement; nevertheless there is no sound reason why these roles should not be
interchangeable.

MATERIALS:

The materials to be considered are lime, soil and water and it is important that the type of
lime to be used is clearly defined. It is unfortunate that the term “lime” is used to
describe calcium hydroxide (agricultural lime) calcium hydroxide (slaked lime or hydrated
lime) and calcium oxide (quick lime). The term is used here and in general engineering
practice to mean hydrated lime.

LIME:

Calcium hydroxide is most widely used for stabilization. The stabilizing effects ultimately
depend on chemical attack by the lime on clay minerals in the soil to form cementitius
compounds (calcium silicate) and carbonate doesn’t do this. Lime is prepared by
heating calcium carbonate (natural limestone) in kilns until carbon dioxide is driven off.
The calcium oxide discharged from the kiln is known as “Quick lime” and because of lumpy
condition and high heat of hydration, which makes it difficult to handle and store, particularly
in humid climates it is usual slake the quick lime immediately forming hydrated lime
(calcium hydroxide) as very fine powder. It is important to note that the hydration process
involves a large reduction in density and this expansion is the basis of deep stabilization
techniques using lime piles. Hydrated lime poses much less of a storage problem as it is no
longer so susceptible to humidity: but both forms will revert to carbonate on prolonged
exposure to air. The mean particle size is about 1/10th that of cement. On addition of lime to
soil two main types of chemical reaction occur:

• Alteration in the nature of the absorbed layer through base exchange phenomenon and
• Cementing or puzzolanic action.

Lime reduces the plasticity index of highly plastic soils making them more friable and easy to
be handled and pulvarised. The plasticity index of soils of low plasticity generally increase in
the optimum water content and a decrease in the maximum compacted density, but the
strength and durability increases.

The amount of lime required may be used on the unconfined compressive strength or the
CBR test criteria. Normally 2 to 8% of lime may be required for coarse grained soils and 5 to
10% for plastic soils.

SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR LIME

Property Lime
Quick lime
(Cao) Hydrated lime
(Ca(OH)2)
Calcium and magnesium oxides
Carbon dioxides-at kiln

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