Strength Developed by Hydrated Lime-Stabilized Lateritic Soil

Abstract

Soil stabilization is usually carried out to improve weak soils by reducing its plasticity and increasing the strength before they can be used for civil engineering constructions. The additives used for this study is lime for improvement of the quality of the test soil. The test was carried out in accordance with the tests procedures specified in BS 1377: 1990. Soil was classified as A-7-6 and CL according AASHTO and USC systems respectively. It is a poorly drain soil with a liquid limit of 47% and requires a form of stabilization before it could be used for construction purpose. From the compaction test, the natural soil has an OMC of 15.3% and MDD of 1.91g/cm3. A CBR value of 6.04% and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of 377.32 kN/m2 was obtained for the natural soil. The test sample was found to have an activity value of 0.35 which implies it contains kaolinite mineral predominantly. Lime stabilization greatly improved the CBR and strength of test soil by 975% (from 6.04% to 58.9%) and 162% (from 377.32 kN/m2 to 611.30 kN/m2) respectively and there was an overall reduction in the plasticity index of the soil at 8% addition of lime. For construction purpose 8% lime is recommended as it increases the soil strength and reduces its plasticity.