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Soil Stabilisation
In this lecture;
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A- Soil Stabilisation
B- Mechanical Stabilisation
C- Chemical Stabilisation

The information listed in this lecture is mainly taken from the Iraqi General
Specifications for Roads and Bridge (SCRB, 2007, R6), Traffic and Highway
Engineering (Garber and Hoel, 2009) and Highways (OFlaherty, 2007).

A- Soil Stabilisation
Why should we stabilize soils? Soil stabilization is any treatment (including,
technically, compaction) applied to a soil to improve its strength and reduce its
vulnerability to water. Soil is regarded as stable if the treated soil is able to
withstand the stresses imposed on it by traffic under all weather conditions without
deformation. This definition is applicable for in situ soils, embankment soils and
base/subbase soils.
The continued demand for aggregates nowadays has resulted in shortages of stone
and gravel in many countries. As a result, greater attention is now being paid to the
use of locally-available substitute materials such as stabilized soils to meet road
construction needs.
In practice, the main methods by which soils are stabilized for road purposes are:
(1) mechanical or granular stabilization; (2) cement stabilization; (3) lime and limepozzolan stabilization; and (4) bituminous stabilization. The Figure below is a general
guideline to selecting the proper method of soil stabilisation.
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B- Mechanical Stabilisation
Mechanical stabilization involves improving the gradation of a raw soil by admixing a
coarse and/or fine material (usually 10 to 50 per cent) with the aim of achieving a
dense homogeneous mass when compacted. Mechanical stabilization is also known
as granular stabilization and soilaggregate stabilization.

C- Chemical Stabilisation
Chemical stabilization is the blending of the natural soil with chemical agents.
Several blending agents have been used to obtain different effects, as shown in the
Table. The most commonly used agents are Portland cement, asphalt binders, and
lime.
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C-1 Cement Stabilisation (Cement-stabilised soils)

Cement stabilization of soils usually involves the addition of 5 to 14 percent Portland
cement by volume of the compacted mixture to the soil being stabilized. This type of
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stabilization is used mainly to obtain the required engineering properties of soils

that are to be used as base course materials. Generally, all types of soil can be
stabilized with cement; especially well-graded granular materials.
The procedure for stabilizing soils with cement involves:
Pulverizing (crushing) the soil
Mixing the required quantity of cement with the pulverized soil
Compacting the soil cement mixture
Curing the compacted layer

Internationally, cement stabilization is most commonly used in subgrade capping

and/or subbase layers in major road pavements, and in subbase and/or base
courses of secondary-type roads. It is never used in surface courses because, as well
as having poor resistance to abrasion, it must be protected from moisture entry into
the cracks that will certainly form in the cement-treated material.

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Factors which ensure that cement stabilization is very widely used are:
(1) cement is available in most countries at a relatively low price;
(2) the use of cement involves less care and control than many other stabilizers;
(3) more technical information is available on cement-treated soil mixtures
(4) most soils (except those with high organic matter or soluble sulphate contents)
can be stabilized with cement.
A soils gradation and plasticity are the most important factors affecting its
suitability for cement stabilization. Cement-treated soil mixes exhibit similar
moisturedensity relationships as raw soils, i.e. for a given compactive effort there is
one moisture content that will give a maximum dry density. Compaction should be
completed as soon as possible after the addition of cement to a soil.
Generally, enough quantity of cement should be used and with the right amount of
water and proper compaction and curing.
C-2 Asphalt Stabilisation (Bitumen stabilized subgrade or Subbase soils)
The mechanisms involved in the stabilization of a soil with a bituminous material
(usually hot bitumen, cutback bitumen, or bitumen emulsion)
Asphalt stabilization is carried out to achieve one or both of the following:
Waterproofing of natural materials
Binding of natural materials
Waterproofing the natural material through asphalt stabilization aids in maintaining
the water content at a required level by providing a membrane that impedes the
penetration of water, thereby reducing the effect of any surface water that may
enter the soil when it is used as a base course. In addition, surface water is
prevented from seeping into the subgrade, which protects the subgrade from failing
due to increase in moisture content.

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Binding improves the durability characteristics of the natural soil by providing an

adhesive characteristic, whereby the soil particles adhere to each other, increasing
cohesion.
Several types of soil can be stabilized with asphalt, although it is generally required
that less than 25 percent of the material passes the No. 200 sieve.
The mixing of the soil and bituminous materials also can be done in a central or
movable plant (plant mixing) or at the roadside (road mixing). In plant mixing, the
desired amounts of water and bituminous material are automatically fed into the
mixing hoppers, whereas in road mixing, the water and bituminous material are
measured and applied separately using a pressure distributor.
The material then is spread evenly in layers of uniform thickness, usually not greater
than 6 in. and not less than 2 in. Each layer is properly compacted until the required
density is obtained using a sheeps foot roller or a pneumatic-tired roller.
C-3 Lime Stabilisation (Lime stabilized subgrade or Subbase soils)
Lime stabilization is one of the oldest processes of improving the engineering
properties of soils and can be used for stabilizing both base and subbase materials.
In general, the oxides and hydroxides of calcium and magnesium are considered as
lime, but the materials most commonly used for lime stabilization are calcium
hydroxide Ca(OH)2 and dolomite Ca(OH)2 + MgO.
Clayey materials are most suitable for lime stabilization, but these materials should
have PI values less than 10 for the lime stabilization to be most effective.
When lime is added to fine-grained soil, cation exchange takes place, with the
calcium and magnesium in the lime replacing the sodium and potassium in the soil.
The tendency to swell as a result of an increase in moisture content is therefore
immediately reduced. The PI value of the soil is also reduced. Pozzolanic reaction
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may also occur in some clays, resulting in the formation of cementing agents that
increase the strength of the soil. When silica or alumina is present in the soil, a
significant increase in strength may be observed over a long period of time. An
additional effect is that lime causes flocculation of the fine particles, thereby
increasing the effective grain size of the soil.
The percentage of lime used for any project depends on the type of soil being
stabilized. The determination of the quantity of lime is usually based on an analysis
of the effect that different lime percentages have on the reduction of plasticity and
the increase in strength on the soil. The PI is most commonly used for testing the
effect on plasticity, whereas the unconfined compression test, the Hveem
Stabilometer test, or the California bearing-ratio (CBR) test can be used to test for
the effect on strength. However, most fine-grained soil can be effectively stabilized
with 3 to 10 percent lime, based on the dry weight of the soil.

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Dr. Firas Asad