Lime Pile Technique for the Improvement of Properties of Clay Soil

Soil improvement is one of the basic requirements for the preparing in situ soils for the appropriate strengthening, stiffness, and stability in civil engineering designs and applications. The modification technique, which involves mechanical, thermal and chemical components, requires monitoring techniques to determine its efficiency and suitability. This study examines the geotechnical improvement of properties of clay soils using the lime pile technique on a laboratory scale model. The clay-lime physicochemical reactions resulting from cat ion exchange were examined through basic experimental analyses. Remolded compacted clay soil blocks were carefully prepared in rectangular test tank with lime piles installed in them. The treated soil block properties were then investigated as a function of lime pile at different curing periods. The curing periods are 28, 60, 90 and 120days etcIt was observed that there are significant changes in the atterberg limits, shrinkage, compaction characteristics, and strength of the treated soils due to the clay-lime reactions. The results indicate that these reactions have remarkable effects on the lime pile treated soil and produced strong interpartical bonds and unconfined compressive strength of the soil. This is attributed to the migration of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions from the lime piles into the soil, flocculation of particles, and pozzolanic reactions. The significant shear strength values suggest that their correlative changes can be used as monitoring technique to determine the improvement in geotechnical properties of chemically treated soil.