Lime Stabilization of Soils: Reappraisal
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 24, Issue 6
Abstract
Lime generally improves the performance of soils. However, some cases reported an adverse effect. To develop an understanding of the underlying mechanisms, a systematic study covering a wide range of plasticity and mineralogy of soils was carried out. Six different soil samples were reconstituted using two extreme types of soils, in other words, a montmorillonite rich expansive soil and a silica-rich non-expansive soil. The influence of lime stabilization on these soils was evaluated through determination of geotechnical properties such as liquid limit, plastic limit, swell, compressive strength, mineralogy, and microstructure. An optimum lime content beyond which the strength improvement decreased was found. This phenomenon is more prominently observed with silica-rich soils that form silica gel. As the silica gel is highly porous, when formed in large scale the strength gain from cementation is substantially countered by the strength loss from gel pores, giving rise to a visible reduction in overall strength. Additionally, the gel materials hold a large amount of water, leading to increased plasticity and swelling. Therefore, excessive lime treatment should be avoided for silica-rich soils.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to Professor A. Sridharan, Professor P. V. Sivapullaiah, Dr. Bulu Pradhan, and Dr. Manoranjan Kar for their valuable comments and suggestions.
References
ASTM. (2006a). “Standard test method for unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soil.” D2166 West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2006b). “Standard practice for classification of soils for engineering purposes (Unified Soil Classification System).” D2487, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2005). “Standard test method for liquid limit, plastic limit and plasticity index of soils.” D4318, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2007). “Standard test method for pH of soils.” D4972, West Conshohocken, PA.
Barker, J. E., Rogers, C. D. F., and Boardman, D. I. (2006). “Physio-chemical changes in clay caused by ion migration from lime piles.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng.JMCEE7, 18(2), 182–189.
Bell, F. G. (1988). “Stabilization and treatment of clay soils with lime, Part 1—Basic principles.” Ground Eng.GRENDB, 21(1), 10–15.
Bell, F. G. (1996). “Lime stabilization of clay minerals and soils.” Eng. Geol.EGGOAO, 42(4), 223–237.
Bhasin, N. K., Dhawan, P. K., and Mehta, H. S. (1978). “Lime requirement in soil stabilization.” Bulletin No. 7, Highway Research Board, Washington, DC, 15–26.
British Aggregates Construction Materials Industry. (1990). Lime stabilization manual London.
Clare, K. E., and Cruchley, A. E. (1957). “Laboratory experiments in the stabilization of clays with hydrated lime.” GeotechniqueGTNQA8, 7(2), 97–111.
Consoli, N. C., Lopes, L. S. Jr., Prietto, P. D. M., Festugato, L., and Cruz, R. C. (2011). “Variables controlling stiffness and strength of lime-stabilized soils.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng.JGGEFK, 137(6), 628–632.
Greaves, H. M. (1996). “An introduction to lime stabilization.” Proc. Symp. on Lime Stabilization, Thomas Telford, London, 5–12.
Herrin, M., and Mitchell, H. (1961). “Lime-soil mixtures.” Bulletin No. 304, Highway Research Board, Washington, DC, 99–138.
Hilt, G. H., and Davidson, D. T. (1960). “Lime fixation on clayey soils.” Bulletin No. 262, Highway Research Board, Washington, DC, 20–32.
Jackson, M. L. (1958). Soil chemical analysis, Prentice-Hall International, London.
Joshi, R. C., Natt, G. S., and Wright, P. J. (1981). “Soil improvement by lime-flyash slurry injection.” Proc. 10th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, AA Balkema, Stockholm, Rotterdam, 3, 707–712.
Khattab, S. A. A., Al-Mukhtar, M., and Fleureau, J. M. (2007). “Long-term stability characteristics of a lime-treated plastic soil.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng.JMCEE7, 19(4), 358–366.
Kumar, A., Walia, B. S., and Abjaj, A. (2007). “Influence of fly ash, lime, and polyester fibers on compaction and strength properties of expansive soil.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng.JMCEE7, 19(3), 242–248.
Mateos, M. (1964). “Soil-lime research at Iowa State Univ..” J. Soil Mech. and Found. Div.JSFEAQ, 90(2), 127–153.
Materials data manual. (1999). Jade. Livermore, CA, Copyrights, 1995–1999.
Neville, A. M., and Brooks, J. J. (2004). Concrete technology. 4th Indian reprint, Pearson Education, Delhi.
Petry, T. M., and Little, D. N. (2002). “Review of stabilization of clays and expansive soils in pavements and lightly loaded structures—history, practice and future.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng.JMCEE7, 14(6), 447–460.
Prakash, K., Sridharan, A., and Rao, S. M. (1989). “Lime addition and curing effects on the index and compaction characteristics of a montmorillonitic soil.” Geotechnical Eng., AIT, 20(1), 39–47.
Rajasekaran, G., and Rao, S. N. (2000). “Strength characteristics of lime-treated marine clay.” Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Ground Improv., 4(3), 127–136.
Rogers, C. D. F., Boardman, D. I., and Papadimitriou, G. (2006). “Stress path testing of realistically cured lime and lime/cement stabilized clay.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng.JMCEE7, 18(2), 259–266.
Sivapullaiah, P. V., Sridharan, A., and Bhaskar Raju, K. V. (2000). “Role of amount and type of clay in the lime stabilization of soils.” Proc. Inst. Civ. Eng. Ground Improv., 4(1), 37–45.
Sridharan, A., and Gurtug, Y. (2004). “Swelling behaviour of compacted fine-grained soils.” Eng. Geol.EGGOAO, 72(1–2), 9–18.
Taylor, A. W. (1959). “Physico-chemical properties of soils—Ion exchange phenomenon.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div.JSFEAQ, 85(2), 19–30.
Wang, J. W. H., Mateos, M., and Davidson, D. T. (1963). “Comparative effects of hydraulic, calcitic and dolomitic limes and cement in soil stabilization.” Highway Research Record Bulletin No.59, National Research Council, Washingthon, DC, 42–54.
Wilkinson, A., Haque, A., Kodikara, J., Adamson, J., and Christie, D. (2010). “Improvement of problematic soils by lime slurry pressure injection: case study.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng.JGGEFK, 136(10), 1459–1468.
Yong, R. N., and Warkentin, B. P. (1975). Introduction to soil behavior, Mc.Millan Company, NY.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 24 • Issue 6 • June 2012
Pages: 707 - 714
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 27, 2011
Accepted: Nov 23, 2011
Published online: Nov 25, 2011
Published in print: Jun 1, 2012
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.