Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that

are the decaying remains of once-living things. It forms at the surface of land it is the skin of
the earth. Soilis capable of supporting plant life and is vital to life on earth.
Soil mechanics is defined as the application of the laws and principles of mechanics and hydraulics to
engineering problems dealing with soil as an engineering material. Soil has many different meanings,
depending on the field of study. To a geotechnical engineer, soil has a much broader meaning and can
include not only agronomic material, but also broken-up fragments of rock, volcanic ash, alluvium, Aeolian
sand, glacial material, and any other residual or transported product of rock weathering.
As the name Soil Mechanics implies the subject is concerned with the deformation and strength of bodies
of soil. It deals with the mechanical properties of the soil materials and with the application of the
knowledge of these properties to engineering problems. In particular it is concerned with the interaction
of structures with their foundation material. This includes both conventional structures and also structures
such as earth dams, embankments and roads which are their-selves made of soil.

Geotechnical engineering is a civilengineering discipline that is concerned with building on,

in, or with soil and rock.Geotechnical engineers design dams, embankments, cuts,
foundations, retaining walls, anchors, tunnels, and all other structures directly interacting with
the subsoil, both onshore and offshore.
A foundation is defined as that part of the structure that supports the weight of the structure and transmits
the load to underlying soil or rock. Foundation engineering applies the knowledge of soil mechanics, rock
mechanics, geology, and structural engineering to the design and construction of foundations for buildings
and other structures. The most basic aspect of foundation engineering deals with the selection of the type
of foundation, such as using a shallow or deep foundation system. Another important aspect of foundation
engineering involves the development of design parameters, such as the bearing capacity of the
foundation.

What is Soil Stabilization?

Soil Stabilization is the alteration of soils to enhance their physical properties.

Stabilization can increase the shear strength of a soil and/or control the shrink-swell
properties of a soil, thus improving the load bearing capacity of a sub-grade to
support pavements and foundations.
Soil Stabilization can be utilized on roadways, parking areas, site development
projects, airports and many other situations where sub-soils are not suitable for
construction. Stabilization can be used to treat a wide range of sub-grade materials,
varying from expansive clays to granular materials. This process is accomplished
using a wide variety of additives, including lime, fly-ash, and Portland cement. Other
material byproducts used in Stabilization include lime-kiln dust (LKD) and cementkiln dust (CKD).
What are the benefits of Soil Stabilization?

Benefits of Midstates Soil Stabilization process can include:

Higher resistance (R) values
Reduction in plasticity
Lower permeability
Reduction of pavement thickness
Elimination of excavation, exporting unsuitable material and importing new
materials
Aids compaction
Provides "all-weather" access onto and within project sites
In addition, there are several environmental advantages. When unimproved
roadways are stabilized and treated with the right additives, run-off of storm water
will not cause erosion, which in turn sends thousands of tons of silt into our rivers
and bays. This erosion clogs and silts vital waterways and fish habitat that would
have been spawning grounds for future generations. Our Soil Stabilization methods
help to preserve soils, water ways, unimproved roadways and much more.
What is the Soil Stabilization Process?

Proper design and testing is an important component of any stabilization project.

This testing will establish proper design criteria in determining the proper additive
and admixture rate to be used to achieve the desired engineering properties. It is
imperative to solicit the expert advice and engineering knowhow of a certified
Geotechnical Engineer for all Soil Stabilization work. Having a Geotechnical
Engineer is one of the most important components of a successful project.

Soil Stabilization is performed in much the same manner as Full

Depth Reclamation. A reclaiming machine first pulverizes the soil
material in question.
An additive is then placed on top of this material. This additive
is mixed and re-mixed with the soil until the desired properties are
achieved.
The new base is shaped by a motor grader to the proper profile
and compacted.
The building pad or roadway materials are added to the
specifications or design.
This process can vary depending on the soils and additives required.
Soil Stabilization can be utilized on roadways, parking lots, site
development projects, and in many other situations where sub-soils
are not suitable for construction.
What is Soil Modification?

Another form of soil treatment closely related to Soil Stabilization is

Soil Modification (sometimes referred to as "mud drying" or soil
conditioning). Although some stabilization inherently occurs in Soil
Modification, the distinction between the two is that Soil Modification
is merely a means to reduce the moisture content of a soil to
expedite construction. Alternatively, Soil Stabilization can
substantially increase the shear strength of a material such that it
can be incorporated into the projects structural design. The
determining factors associated with Soil Modification versus Soil
Stabilization may be the existing moisture content, the end use of
the soil structure, and ultimately the cost benefits provided.

The process of soil stabilization refers to changing the physical properties of soil in order to
improve its strength, durability, or other qualities. Typically, this is important for road
construction, and other concerns related to the building and maintenance of infrastructure.
Soil that has been stabilized will have a vastly improved weight bearing capability, and will also
be significantly more resistant to being damaged by water, frost, or inclement conditions.

3 Types of Soil Stabilization Techniques by a Real Road Building

Celebrity
Different types of soil stabilization have been performed for thousands of years; it wasnt too
long after roads were developed that primitive engineers began looking for ways to improve
them. Believe it or not, some of the original methods (or at least their spiritual descendants)
are still employed today. Lets take a look at the three basic types of soil stabilization and how
they work:

Mechanical The oldest types of soil stabilization are mechanical in nature. Mechanical
solutions involve physically changing the property of the soil somehow, in order to affect its
gradation, solidity, and other characteristics. Dynamic compaction is one of the major types of
soil stabilization; in this procedure a heavy weight is dropped repeatedly onto the ground at
regular intervals to quite literally pound out deformities and ensure a uniformly packed surface.
Vibro compaction is another technique that works on similar principles, though it relies on
vibration rather than deformation through kinetic force to achieve its goals.

Chemical Chemical solutions are another of the major types of soil stabilization. All of these
techniques rely on adding an additional material to the soil that will physically interact with it and
change its properties. There are a number of different types of soil stabilization that rely on

chemical additives of one sort or another; you will frequently encounter compounds that utilize
cement, lime, fly ash, or kiln dust. Most of the reactions sought are either cementitious or
pozzolanic in nature, depending on the nature of the soil present at the particular site you are
investigating.

Polymer/Alternative Both of the previous types of soil stabilization have been around for
hundreds of years, if not more; only in the past several decades has technology opened up new
types of soil stabilization for companies to explore. Most of the newer discoveries and techniques
developed thus far are polymer based in nature, such as those developed by Global Road
Technology. These new polymers and substances have a number of significant advantages over
traditional mechanical and chemical solutions; they are cheaper and more effective in general
than mechanical solutions, and significantly less dangerous for the environment than many
chemical solutions tend to be.