Effects of aggregate size on water retention capacity and microstructure of lime-treated silty soil

Lime treatment is a common technique of improving the workability and geotechnical properties of soils. In this study, the aggregate size effects on the water retention capacity and microstructure of lime-treated soil were investigated. Two soil powders with different maximum aggregate sizes (Dmax = 0·4 and 5 mm) were prepared and stabilised by 2% lime (by weight of dry soil). Soil samples were prepared by compaction at dry side of optimum water content (w = 17%) with a dry density of 1·65 Mg/m3. Suction and pore size distribution were determined after different curing periods. The results obtained show that: (a) the treated soil with smaller Dmax presents relatively smaller modal sizes and lower frequency of macropores (10–330 μm); (b) lime addition effectively improves the soil water retention capacity and decreases both the modal sizes of macro- and micropores gradually over time. Moreover, a higher air entry value and larger water retention capacity were also observed for a smaller Dmax value, in agre...

[1]  Erol Guler,et al.  Laboratory and field testing for utilization of an excavated soil as landfill liner material. , 2006, Waste management.

[2]  D. Deneele,et al.  Effects of lime and cement treatment on the physicochemical, microstructural and mechanical characteristics of a plastic silt , 2013 .

[3]  Marc-André Bérubé,et al.  Laboratory investigations on the lime stabilization of sensitive clays: shear strength development , 1990 .

[4]  E. Romero.  A microstructural insight into compacted clayey soils and their hydraulic properties , 2013 .

[5]  G. Russo,et al.  Fabric changes induced by lime addition on a compacted alluvial soil , 2013 .

[6]  G. Russo,et al.  Microstructure of a lime stabilised compacted silt , 2007 .

[7]  Y. Cui,et al.  Effects of lime treatment on the microstructure and hydraulic conductivity of Héricourt clay , 2014 .

[8]  Christopher D. F. Rogers,et al.  Development of stabilisation and solidification in lime–clay mixes , 2001 .

[9]  S. Lee Barbour,et al.  Nineteenth Canadian Geotechnical Colloquium: The soil-water characteristic curve: a historical perspective , 1998 .

[10]  K. S. Heineck,et al.  Key Parameters for the Strength Control of Lime Stabilized Soils , 2009 .

[11]  Antonio Gens,et al.  Water permeability, water retention and microstructure of unsaturated compacted Boom clay , 1999 .

[12]  Pierre Delage,et al.  Influence de la lyophilisation sur la structure d'une argile sensible du Québec , 1984, Clay Minerals.

[13]  Aydın Kavak,et al.  A field application for lime stabilization , 2007 .

[14]  S. Khattab,et al.  Soil-Water Characteristic Curves (SWCC) for Lime Treated Expansive Soil from Mosul City , 2006 .

[15]  Yu-Jun Cui,et al.  Effects of the maximum soil aggregates size and cyclic wetting–drying on the stiffness of a lime-treated clayey soil , 2011 .

[16]  M. Al-Mukhtar,et al.  Behaviour and mineralogy changes in lime-treated expansive soil at 20 °C , 2010 .

[17]  A. G. Altschaeffl,et al.  MOISTURE CURVE OF COMPACTED CLAY: MERCURY INTRUSION METHOD , 1985 .

[18]  Delwyn G. Fredlund,et al.  The 1999 R.M. Hardy Lecture: The implementation of unsaturated soil mechanics into geotechnical engineering , 2000 .

[19]  Liu Zhi-bin,et al.  Micropore Structure of Aggregates in Treated Soils , 2007 .