Effect of Lime and Cement on the Geotechnical Properties of an Expansive Soil

The phenomenon of clays swelling is the cause of possible disorders dependent on the movement of the soil. The technique of the stabilization to improve such a soil state using cement and lime is utilized all around the world. The stabilization of the soil can be a very important solution because it brings important modifications to their geotechnical properties. This document aims to study the influence of the lime and the cement on the geotechnical properties of the expansive soil. The studied mechanical properties are the plasticity, the compaction, the unconfined compression strength, the free swell and the shear strength characteristics of the soil with varying proportions of lime and cement, Properties of the untreated soil were determined. The percentages of lime and cement added are respectively 2 %, 4 %, 6 % and 8 % by the dry weight of the soil. The untreated soil values were used as points of comparison. The obtained results show a significant reduction in the plasticity index and in the percentage of free swell of expansive soil with the increase of the quantity of lime and cement. Also it has been found that the addition of lime and cement increases the optimum moisture content, the unconfined compression strength, and the shear strength of the soil. The soil used in this research was taken in the zone of Me’daourouch, near the city of Souk Ahras. This research work studied in particular three aspects, Such as the effect of admixtures cement and lime, the effect of the variation of the percentage of admixtures and the effect of curing time after mixing of admixtures on the stabilization.