Physio-Chemical Changes in Clay Caused by Ion Migration from Lime Piles
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 2
Abstract
Migration of ions from lime piles to bring about improvements in clay soils, into which the lime piles have been installed, has been observed by several researchers. Specific measurements have been taken to show how effective the improvement has been (in terms of distance, time, and magnitude of the physical change), and yet the observations have yet to be adequately explained. This paper aims to examine, via a series of controlled laboratory experiments, the physico-chemical phenomena in London clay brought about by the ion migration from a lime pile having the same initial water content as the clay. Ion migration was shown to occur under a combination of three drivers (chemical, electrical, and hydraulic gradients), the importance of each being discussed. Changes in the clay’s properties were determined by shear strength, using a novel fall cone technique, and plasticity measurements, while measurement of pH, conductivity, and ion concentrations proved vital to understanding the processes taking place, notably in relation to the cation exchange and clay mineral dissolution effects of classic stabilization.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research CouncilEPSRC-GB and the assistance of their academic colleagues and secretarial and technical staff in the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham.
References
Barker, J. E. (2002). “Ion migration associated with lime piles.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K.
Barker, J. E., Rogers, C. D. F., and Boardman, D. I. (2001). “Physico-chemical changes in clay soils surrounding lime piles.” Proc., 1st Int. Conf. on Underground Infrastructure Research, Waterloo, Canada, 185–190.
Boardman, D. I., Glendinning, S., and Rogers, C. D. F. (2001). “Development of stabilisation and solidification in lime-clay mixes.” Geotechnique, 51(6), 533–543.
British Standards Institution (BSI). (1990a). “Methods of test for cement stabilised and lime stabilised materials.” BS1924, HMSO, London.
British Standards Institution (BSI). (1990b). “Methods of test for soils for civil engineering purposes.” BS1377, HMSO, London.
Glendinning, S., and Rogers, C. D. F. (1996). “Deep slope stabilisation, using lime piles.” Lime stabilisation, C. D. F. Rogers, S. Glendinning, and N. Dixon, eds., Thomas Telford, London, 127–138.
Holt, C. C., and Freer-Hewish, R. J. (1998). “The use of lime-treated British clays in pavement construction. Part 1: The effect of mellowing on the modification process.” Transport, Proc. Inst. Civil Eng., 129, 228–239.
Loughnan, F. C. (1969). Chemical weathering of silicate minerals, Elsevier, New York.
Luttenegger, A. J., and Dickson, J. R. (1984). “Experiences with drilled lime stabilisation in the mid-west USA.” Proc., 4th Int. Symp. on Landslides, 289–293.
Mitchell, J. K. (1991). “Conduction phenomena: From theory to geotechnical practice.” Geotechnique, 41(3), 299–340.
Rogers, C. D. F., Barker, J. E., Boardman, D. I., and Peterson, J. (2002). “Electro-kinetic stabilisation of a silty clay soil.” Proc., 4th Int. Conf. on Ground Improvement Techniques, Vol. 2, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 621–628.
Rogers, C. D. F., and Glendinning, S. (1994). “Deep slope stabilisation using lime” Transportation Research Record 1440, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 63–70.
Rogers, C. D. F., and Glendinning, S. (1996). “The role of lime migration in lime pile stabilisation of slopes.” Q. J. Eng. Geol., 29, 273–284.
Rogers, C. D. F., and Glendinning, S. (1997). “Improvement of clay soils in situ using lime piles in the UK.” Eng. Geol. (Amsterdam), 47(3), 243–257.
Rogers, C. D. F., Glendinning, S., and Holt, C. C. (2000). “Slope stabilisation using lime piles—A case study.” Ground Improvement, 4(4), 165–176.
Rogers, C. D. F., Glendinning, S., and Roff, T. E. J. (1997). “Modification of clay soils for construction expediency.” Geotechnical Engineering, Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng., 125, 1–8.
Rogers, C. D. F., Liaki, C., and Boardman, D. I. (2003). “Advances in the engineering of lime stabilised clay soils.” Keynote Paper to Int. Conf. on Problematic Soils, (CD Rom), Nottingham, U.K.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 2 • April 2006
Pages: 182 - 189
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 11, 2005
Accepted: Jul 29, 2005
Published online: Apr 1, 2006
Published in print: Apr 2006
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Hilary I. Inyang
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.