Stabilization of Expansive Soils Using Mechanical and Chemical Methods: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

The presence of expansive soils on construction sites is problematic in geotechnical engineering. The swell-shrink behaviour makes these soils not suitable to be used in their natural state. The expansive soil damages cause financial loss yearly more than floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and earthquakes combined. Moreover, the cost of cut to spoil of expansive soils during construction projects has continued to rise because of the high cost of earthworks, haulage, and the increasing scarcity of spoil areas because of the built environment. Nonetheless, a proper stabilization technique can significantly enhance the expansive soil's properties. The research project attempts to review, report the limits and merits of mechanical and chemical methods utilized to stabilize expansive soils in line with their efficiency, environmental concerns, and cost-effectiveness. A review of mechanical and chemical treatment techniques is conducted in this regard. Ultimately, each stabilization method exhibits its merits and limitations. The lack of standards for the treatment of swelling soils is a significant problem in engineering practice. Specialists in the domain of soil treatment must work together to obtain an optimized stabilization approach and protocol. Moreover, engineers should perform a geoenvironmental assessment appropriate for chemical stabilization methods and additives utilized. This research work contributes as a guideline in the selection and application of chemical and mechanical stabilization methods.

Assessment of lime stabilization of black cotton soil for roads construction projects

“…ES damages result in a greater annual financial loss than hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes combined. 4 According to Buruga et al, 5 black cotton soil belongs to the smectite group, and incorporates montmorillonite, a highly expansive and the most troublesome clay mineral in construction. Montmorillonites incorporate a central octahedral sheet sandwiched among twofold tetrahedral sheets and it forms a three-layer element.…”

“…Chemical stabilizers were recognized as important because of their potential to bring about desired changes in the soil's mineralogical structure, allowing for better agglomeration of soil particles and lowering the soil's attraction for water. 12 As stated by Fondjo et al, 4 the goal of chemical soil stabilization is to improve soil stability by increasing grain size particles, lowering plasticity index, reducing swelling-shrinking potential, and cementing. The use of lime to improve the engineering behaviour of expansive clayey soils is a well-established technique.…”

“…By modifying the drying-wetting cycle on stabilized soil material, wetting-drying cycles are also used to test the durability of chemical additives used in soil stabilization in order to better understand the time-dependent performance of such chemicals under field settings. 4 The main objective of the study is to stabilize black cotton soil by treating it with lime (anhydrous sodium sulphate). Also, evaluate the physical behaviour and strength characteristics of BCS and determine the effectiveness of adding lime to stabilizing black cotton soil.…”

Analysis of clay improvement as subgrade using Palm Oil Fuel Ash (Pofa)

“…Chemical stabilization improves soil properties by adding additional materials such as cement, fly ash, lime, Portland cement, husk ash. and others [9]. In this research, chemical stabilization will be carried out with a mixture of materials using Palm Oil Fuel Ash (Pofa) and lime.…”

The Effect of POFA-Gypsum Binary Mixture Replacement on the Performance of Mechanical and Microstructural Properties Enhancements of Clays

“…Various research has used wastes materials to enhance road surface strength as well as different geotechnical applications [6,16]. There are also various types of methods and technques used for soil stabilization, for instance, chemical and mechanical stabilizations [17,18]. Figure 1 shows some of the methods.…”