Development of Stabilizer Selection Tables for Low-Volume Roads: Arlington, Texas

Abstract

Expansive soil movements cause damage to low-volume traffic roadways, which is attributed to the low rigidity of the materials used in the pavements. Several treatment methods have been used to stabilize expansive, soft subsoils, which have yielded mixed results due to the presence of sulfates. Because of the ambiguity of these results, the city of Arlington, Texas, established a task force of researchers and practitioners in the area of soil stabilization to develop matrix tables of the various treatment methods and their applicability to stabilize expansive, soft, and sulfate-rich soils. Extensive literature compiled on the stabilizers, several new and previous research studies on stabilizers, and the expertise of the task group members were considered in the evaluation process. The task force developed seven matrix-form selection tables that showed various treatment methods and if their applications were acceptable or unacceptable for the 12 types of soft and sulfate-rich subgrade soils. A summary of the tables was prepared, along with guidelines on how to use these tables to screen the potential stabilizers for pavement construction projects.