Laboratory Evaluation of a Liquid Ionic Stabilizer for an Expansive Soil in North Texas

Liquid ionic soil stabilizers, such as diluted acids, are often used to treat expansive foundation soils for residential projects through pressurized deep injection in Texas. In practice, ionic liquid stabilizers generally work effectively to reduce swell potential and can also slightly increase soil strength. Due to the proprietary nature of the liquid stabilizers, there is a lack of comprehensive laboratory engineering studies of the stabilization mechanism to evaluate the efficiency of such treatment. In this study, a liquid ionic soil stabilizer (LISS) was selected for the laboratory study. The LISS consists of sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, citric acid, surfactant, and water mixed at a proprietary ratio. Bulk samples of a high expansive soil with PI of 58 were collected in Caddo Mills, TX and tested for particle size distribution, Atterberg limits, standard proctor compaction, and specific gravity. Unconfined compressive and 1D swell tests were performed on specimens with and without treatment. The treated specimens were obtained by hand mixing the dry soils with the LISS at three dilution ratios. Results show that the stabilizer effectively reduces swell potential and decreases the PI of the tested soils.