SOIL STABILISATION

Types of Stabilization Techniques

I) Physical stabilization

II) Stabilization using additives

Physical Stabilization

Blending locally available materials to obtain a desired grading

i) Soil - aggregate mixtures

ii) Sand – Clay mixtures

iii) Sand – Gravel mixtures

iv) Stabilization of soil with soft aggregates

Soil – Aggregate stabilization

Soil & aggregate particles are mixed in suitable

proportions such that the resulting mixtures confirm
to a dense and stable mix when properly compacted.
This technique is used for construction of base course.
Sand Clay Mixtures

A sand clay road is composed of a favorable mixture of clay silt

and sand.

If some coarser material such as gravel are also

present, the mixture will perform still better

Blending of clay with a proportion of sand can alter the properties

significantly.

Sand clay mixtures are used as surface course for low traffic
roads
Stabilization of soil with soft aggregates.

Moorum, Kankar, Over burnt Bricks

Principle behind this method is to embed in a soil mortar, coarse

aggregate roughly one third of total volume.

Because of large portion of the soil mortar, the resulting material has no
grain to grain contact in the coarse aggregate.

Each aggregate is thus enveloped all round in the compacted soil and is
thus protected from the crushing effect.
 Stabilization using
additives

Stabilization of soil is also done using additives

also called as stabilizers.

There are various forms of stabilizers which can

be classified based on the purpose of stabilizing
the soil
 Types of stabilizers
• Cementing (Strength gain)

This types of stabilizers provide bond together individual or

aggregate of soil particles.

• Modifiers

This types of stabilizers modify or change the properties of

water(adsorbed water) reduce plasticity of the soil raise
optimum water content, improves workability and also modify
clay minerals.
Water proofers

Retards or completely stop water absorption.

Water retainers

This types of stabilizers lowers vapour pressure so that the soil

stays moist and mitigates frost damage.
Soil-Lime Stabilization
 Soil – Lime stabilization
All classes of hydrated lime or quick lime, both calcitic and
dolomitic are used for soil stabilization
The various types of Limes available are.
CaO - Calcitic Quick lime

CaO+ MgO - dolomitic quick lime

Ca(OH)2 - high calcium hydrated lime

Ca(OH)2 + MgO – monohydrated dolomitic lime

Ca(OH)2 + Mg(OH)2 – dehydrated dolomitic lime

When lime is added to a fine grained soil, a number of
reactions takes place.

Some of them occur immediately while others are

slow to occur
• One of the early reaction is ion exchange
clay particles are usually negatively charged with exchangeable
ions of sodium, magnesium, potassium or hydrogen adsorbed on
the surface.
The strong positively charged ions of calcium present in lime
replace the ions of sodium, magnesium, potassium or hydrogen,
resulting in preponderance of positively charged calcium ions on
the surface of the clay particles.

This in turn reduces the plasticity of the soil. The clay particles
tend to agglomerate into large sized particles.
•
Additional lime quantity will react chemically with the
clay minerals.

The aluminous and siliceous materials in the clayey soil

will react with lime in the presence of water to form
cementious gels.

Ca++ + OH- + SiO2 → CSH

Ca++ + OH- + Al2O3 → CAH

Another possible source of strength is the formation of
calcium carbonate due to the absorption of carbon-
di- oxide from air

Ca(OH)2 + CO2 → CaCO3

Soil suitable for lime treatment

Clayey soils are most suitable for lime treatment.

The fraction passing 425 micron should be at least

15% and the clay content should be at least 10%

The plasticity index of the soil should be at least 10%

Quantity of lime

The strength of the soil lime mixture is greatly

influenced by lime content.

A quantity of 3 – 10% by weight of dry soil is normally

required to stabilize the soil.

Ca(OH)2 in a powder form is preferred to CaO.

Soil-Cement Stabilization
Soil- Cement Stabilization

When water is added to cement –

Cementitious products
( Calcium silicate hydrates and calcium
aluminium hydrates are produced).

In stabilization of granular materials with cement, these

Cementitious materials provide the bond between the mineral
particles.
In case of Fine grained soils, the Cementitious bond
provided by the calcium silicate hydrates and the
calcium aluminates hydrates is further strengthened
by the secondary hydrous calcium silicates and
aluminates formed by the reaction of free lime in the
cement paste and the clay mineral particles

The reaction between the free lime and the clay

minerals particles is just the same as in the case of
lime soil stabilization.
Soil with the following limits can be economically
stabilized

Passing 4.75mm sieve sieve > 50%

Passing 75 micron sieve < 50%

Liquid Limit < 40%

Plasticity Index < 18%

Soil- Bitumen Stabilization

The addition of a bitumen binder to a soil improves its

properties considerably.
If the soil lacks in cohesion the bitumen coats the soil
particles, bind them together and supplies cohesion.

Secondly the mixture becomes less prone to the

adverse effects caused by ingress of water
Calcium Chloride Stabilization
• Calcium chloride has deliquescent and hygroscopic
properties.

This properties render the material ideally suitable as a dust

palliative on untreated low cost roads.

In dry climate regions, the moisture evaporates from the road

during the day, but if calcium chloride is present the moisture can
be regained in the night.
• Another property of calcium chloride is that it lowers the
vapour pressure of water in which it is dissolved. This reduces
the rate of evaporation.

• Increase in the surface tension of water is noticed when

calcium chloride is present in a soil water mixture.
• As the surface tension of the pore water rises, the rate of
evaporation falls. When some evaporation takes place, pore
water content is itself reduced, and this in turn causes surface
tension to raise further.
• The water films then close on the soil particles and grip them
together.
Calcium chloride is obtained as a waste product in the
manufacture of ammonia, ammonium carbonate, potassium
chlorate and sodium carbonate.

Its disposal was considered a problem and its use as a stabilizer in

such situations is to be welcomed.
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, common salt, is available in a natural
state as rock salt and sea water.

Its use as a stabilizer derives from the many properties listed

under calcium chloride. It is, however less hygroscopic and
inferior to calcium chloride as a lubricant for aiding compaction.

An important beneficial effect is the crystallization of the salt

forming a compact and hard surface which improves the stability
of the layer and prevents evaporation.

The quantity of sodium chloride is roughly the same as calcium

chloride ( about 0.5% by weight)