Role of moulding water content in lime stabilisation of soil

Abstract

The role of moulding water content, from the dry side of the optimum to the wet side of optimum, in the strength development in lime-treated soils was investigated in the present study. During compaction, the structure of clay particles can change from a flocculated to a dispersed structure as the water content is increased from the dry side of optimum to the wet side of optimum. For efficient formation of pozzolanic compounds, the water content of the soil–lime mixture should be kept as high as possible. The improvement in the strength of Indian black cotton soil treated with different amounts of lime content at different water contents and cured for varying curing periods was studied. The results clearly showed that the strength of black cotton soil treated with lime content increased better when compacted on the dry side of optimum, the other parameters remaining the same. Further, the optimum lime varied with moulding water content and curing period.