A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY ON EFFECT OF ALTERNATE DRYING AND WETTING CYCLES ON STABILITY OF LIME TREATED BLACK COTTON (BC)SOIL
Lime treatment induces several time-dependent physico-chemical processes that result in the bonding of soil particles. This treatment results in improved soil strength and reduced swelling properties of clay soil. However, these positive effects of lime-treatment could be affected by weathering action in the very long term. This paper presents the effects of successive wetting and drying cycles on the hydro-mechanical properties of a lime-treated clayey soil. Black cotton soil samples treated with quicklime were subjected to alternate wetting and drying cycles through saturation and thermostatically controlled drying. The effect of quicklime dosage and curing time on strength deterioration of soil samples subjected to AWD were considered in the study. The results indicated enhanced swelling properties of the material and a progressive loss of strength with increasing number of AWD cycles. The extent of the degradation is directly related to the amount of added quicklime and the amplitude of the AWD cycles. Studies indicated that strength lime stabilized BC soil significantly when subjected to successive wetting-drying cycles. Thus, the weathering effects should be accounted for the long-term design of treated soil structure.
BC Soil, Lime Stabilization, Wetting-Drying Cycles, Strength Deterioration.