Technical Report Submitted to Mr Jodin Makinda for Problem Based Learning (KA30403 Geotechnical Engineering), Sem.

II, Session 2009

EFFECTS OF LIME TO THE PERMEABILITY OF SANDY AND CLAYEY SUBGRADE

Lee Hong Siang 1

ABSTRACT: Lime is widely used in civil engineering application such as road construction, embankment and dam construction. When lime is added to the soil in the present of water several reaction occur and leading to the improvement of engineering properties of the soil. The main objective of this research is to investigate the effects of lime to the permeability of the subgrade soil. This research specially focuses on permeability of the soil subgrade by adding lime to clayey soil and sandy soil. Soil classification such as sieve analysis, Atterberg limit, specific gravity, constant and falling head permeability test were performed on the clayey soil, sandy soil accordance to British Standard. The soils were tested for several hours and in different water content. The constant and falling head test results show that a decrease of permeability value in the mixtures as the time of curing increase for clayey soil and a increase for sandy soil. Besides that, constant and falling head test results show that a decrease in permeability value for the clayey soil and an increase for the sandy soil as the increase in water contents. Thus, this indicating the lime will change the permeability of the road subgrade. Keywords: lime, permeability, road subgrade, sandy soil, clayey soil

INTRODUCTION Water has a damaging effect in most of the materials used in road construction. Water in the pavement layer reduces the bearing capacity of the road and therefore its lifetime. In cold climate this problem magnified by the risk of frost damage when water is present. Likewise, saturation of the pavement sub-layer due to a high water table will reduce the moduli of elasticity of the sub-layer and give rise to the early rutting and cracking and need early maintenances. By reducing the permeability of the subgrade will overcame the problem of over rise of water table after raining and melting of snow. Therefore, it is necessary to do lab tests to determine the effects of adding lime to the sandy and clayey soil in construction of the subgrade. The objectives of the research are: 1) to investigate the effects of permeability for different type of soils after lime is added, 2) to investigate the effects of permeability for different water content of soil after lime is added and 3) to investigate the permeability in different time curing after the soil is added with lime. LITERATURE REVIEW The addition of lime to soils to improve their use for construction has a very long history. The addition of lime to the soil will change the engineering properties of the soil. People in Mesopotamia and Egypt, and that the Greeks and Romans used lime-soil
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mixture (McDowell C, et al, 1959). It has been established through years of research, testing and practical experience that moisture underlying pavements leads to premature pavement distress (Cedegrem et al, 1987, 1989). A research team used FGD materials as impervious liners in place of commonly used clay or geo-membranes. The laboratory samples exhibit low permeability (much lower than 1 x 107 cm/s) and high strength necessary for liner application (Butalia T. et al, 1999). (Croft J.B. et al, 1967) found that the addition of lime significantly reduce the swelling potential ,liquid limit, plasticity index, and maximum dry density of the soil, and increase it optimum water content, shrinkage limit and strength. (Bell F.G. et al, 1996) indicated that the optimum addition of lime needed for maximum modification of the soil is normally between 1% and 3% lime by weight and further addition of lie do not bring changes but increase the strength only. There are several advantageous in associated in using lime in civil engineering application as a chemical stabilizer to improve or change the engineering properties of the soil. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research specifically focuses on clay soil and sand mixed with lime and tested for the permeability with different curing times (1 hour, 24 hour, and 48 hour) and different value of water content (original water content, oven dry, and maximum water content). The sand that was used sized range in between

BK07110257, laut87@yahoo.com, Civil Engineering Program, UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH

0.075mm to 0.212mm where the grain particles size ranging for clay is 0.075mm and less. The procedures used for the laboratory works were referred to British Standard (BS) and Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). The laboratory works include soil preparation and soil classification, Atterberg limit test, fall cone method, specific gravity test (specific gravity bottle and gas jar), standard proctor compaction test, constant head permeability, and falling head permeability test. RESULT AND DISCCUSION The clay and sand that obtained from the site have the physical properties as tested. Table 1 shows the specific gravity, liquid limit, moisture content, and maximum water content of both soils. Table 1 Physical Soil Properties of Sand and clay Soil Gs LL (%) Moisture content (%) Maximum water content (%) 17 17

content show that the reaction of clay and lime is more complete and prefect. The results are shown in Figure 1

Effect of Fig. 1 Permeability of clay in various time curing and water content Time Curing and Water Content of Sand toward the Permeability For 1 hour of curing time, the original water content sand have the k value of 0.041cm/s, the oven dry has the k value of 0.026cm/s, and the optimum water content sand soil has the value of 0.161cm/s. While in 24hour of curing time, the original water content sand has the k value of 0.101cm/s, oven dry sand has k value of 0.039cm/s, and the optimum water content sand has value of 0.174cm/s. For 48hour of curing time, the original water content sand has the k value of 0.057cm/s, the oven dry sand has k value of 0.037cm/s, and the optimum water content sand has the k value of 0.062cm/s. From the graph show an increase in permeability to maximum point in 24 hour then decrease when 48 hour of curing. The permeability also increases as the water content is increase. This can be explains by the change in dispersed arrangement of sand particle to flocculation increase the void ratio and thus the permeability increase (Rajasekaran.G, 2000). The results are shown in Figure 2.

Clay 2.55 31 sand 3.90 NP Notes: NP: non-plastic

8.29 1.15

Effect of Time Curing and Water Content of Clay toward the Permeability For 1 hour of curing time, the original water content clay have the k value of 0.024cm/s, the oven dry has the k value of 0.00571cm/s, and the optimum water content clay soil has the value of 0.0052cm/s. While in 24hour of curing time, the original water content clay has the k value of 0.0035cm/s, oven dry clay has k value of 0.00228cm/s, and the optimum water content clay has value of 0.00072cm/s. For 48hour of curing time, the original water content clay has the k value of 0.0011cm/s, the oven dry clay has k value of 0.0019cm/s, and the optimum water content clay has the k value of 0.00072cm/s. Overall the graph shows a decrease of k value (permeability) as the curing time increase and also decrease of k value when the water content is increase. This result can be explained that when lime is added to the clay several reactions occur include cation exchange, flocculation, carbonation, and pozzolonic reaction. The permeability of soil system can be influence by grain size, void ratio, electrolyte concentration, external pressure and fabric arrangement of soil particle (Mitchell, 1976). The cation exchange take place between the cations associated with the surface of the clay particles and calcium cation of the lime. The effect of cation exchange and attraction will cause the soil particle became more close to each other. A compound called flocs is form and will effects the permeability of the soil (Sherwood PT, 1993). The longer the time of curing and the optimum in water

Fig. 2 Permeability of sand in various times of curing and water content CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

The following conclusions can be made based on the experimental laboratory results described in this research study: The permeability of the clayey soil will decrease when mixing with the lime with the present of water and the permeability of sandy soil will increase when mixing with lime in the present of water. The permeability of clayey soil will decrease if the water content is increase and the permeability of sandy soil will increase if the water content is increase. The permeability of clayey soil will decrease as the curing time increase and became constant after a long period of time. The permeability of sandy soil will increase as the curing time increase and then decease after the time period of 24 hours. REFERENCES Bell, F.G. (1996). Lime stabilization of clay mineral and soils engineering geology 42 : 223-237. Butalia, T. and Wolfe, W. (1999). Evaluation of permeability characteristics of FGD materials. Fuel 78 : 14952. Cedergren, H.R. (1989). Seepage, drainage, and flow nets. Wiley, New York, p. 12. Cheng Liu, Jack B. Evett (2005). Soils and foundation SI edition, Peason Prentice Hall. Croft, J.B. (1967). The influence of soil mineralogical composition on cement stabilization Geotechnique. vol.17 : 119-135 Rajasekaran, G. and Narasimha, R.S. (2000). Permeability characteristic of lime treated marine clay. Ocean Engineering 29 : 113-127 McDowell, C. (1959). Stabilization of soils with lime, lime fly ash and other lime reactive material: 6066 Mitchell, J.K.(1976). Fundamentals of soil behavior. John Wiley , London. p 422 . Sherwood, P.T. (1993). Soil stabilization with the lime: state of the art review. Transport research laboratory