Effect of lime on the stabilization of an expansive clay soil in Algeria

This paper presents the influence of lime addition on the geotechnical properties of an expansive Algerian clayey soil. The studied soil was classified as a fat clay (CH) with high plasticity according to the unified soil classification system (USCS). 2, 4 and 6% lime was added to the clay soil in order to studied their effect on the physical and mechanical properties of the studied soil. The pH variation, consistency limits, compaction, swell, unconfined compressive strength, mineralogical and microstructural analysis are particularly investigated. For the purpose of studying the effect of curing time on soil strength, treated specimens were cured for 1, 7 and 28 days. Tests results indicate that the pH of the studied soil was significantly increased after their treatment with lime, which indicates the beginning of chemical reactions between lime and clay soil. After lime treatment the studied soil become more friable and easier to work with a higher unconfined compressive strength (UCS) due to the flocculation of the soil structure and the production of new cementation products such as CSH and CAH