Fundamentals of Soil Stabilization in Pavements DR. SYAM NAIR ASSISTANT PROFESSOR TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING DIVISION DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, IIT KANPUR Clayey Soi's and Pavements Ulnfluence structural stability of pavements jg high Plasticity and Cohesiveness OMoisture fluctuations , esteiat/avetlbenavior Offen related to clay types and structure Low bearing strength Poor workability <2 micronsize - passing 425 micron sieve Clay Fabric Dispersed plate-like orClay Rich Soils — Pavement Solutions Solutions Removal and Replecement (Expensive, Disposal issues) Electrical and thermal (rarely used) NCHRP Mechanical stabilization (cohesion less soils) ome ie dei Chemical alteration of clay properties Sabhansan of Subgrde Sot ‘rv oure Murals OU Chemical Stabilization Economical Prevents pavement failures during construction Structural credit can and is be given to stabilized subgrade Reduces subgrade swell and ensure long-term performance Facilitate Load Distribution 100 psi Unstabilized 15 psi Stabilized Base 4 yj ——> Granular BaseEliminates Rutting Below Surface Stabived [ssabuzod tase ee Rutting can occur in surface, base Stabilized bases resist and subgrade of unstabilized consolidation and movement, ibases'duelio repeated wheel thus virtually eliminating rutting in Reduced Moisture Susceptibility Unstabilized Granular Base Stabilized Base High water table Visual Analysis of Soak TestingMechanistic Pavement Design CIAASHTO 2002 Guide Assign struc:ural contribution based on strength and stiffness modulus oRequire lab ‘esting to provide strength and stiffness data - protocol developed by NLA (1993) CNew IRC guidelines (2012) Mechanistic design principles included Clays: Basic Structural Units OClay mineral - two basic units 0 . Silica tetrahedral Alumina octahedral hydroxyl or Silicon tetrahedron oxygen O Combinations differentiates clay types aluminum or ___->@ 01:1 minerals magnesium ~ Ot 2:1 mineralsTetrahedral & Octahedral Sheets For simplicity, let’s represent silica tetrahedral sheet by: and alumina octahedral sheet by: Z Pet Different Clay Minerals U Different combinations of tetrahedral and octahedral sheets form clay minerals: 1:1 Clay Mineral (¢.g., kaolinite, halloysite): o aaa s = Tetrahedral Sheet ho an Octahedral Sheet 5Different Clay Minerals 73 :1 Clay Mineral (Montmorillonite, Bentonite, Mica etc.) Montmorillonite alsocalled smectite; expands on contact with water LLG VG mentee onsen 5 gn Why Some Clays Expand in Presence of Water OC Negative surface charge on individual units: Isomorphous Substitution Oubstitution of kigher valance cation by a lower valence cation Ex. Al** for Si*, Mg? ® Al etc. Negative charge along edges a Charge balanced by cations: primarily negatively charged surface ao valent (ex. a Navete} i Cations binds the clay layers but can be exchanged with others cations with higher valence (di -tri valent)Why Clays Expand Water molecules will move in to hydrate ions (Osmosis) Not all ions hydrate Mono valent cations thet are common in soils do Unbalanced residual charges in clay O Thin layer of water tightly held to particle; like a skin (1-4 molecules of water ) approx. 1 nm thick OWater Absorption Potential Cation Exchange Capacity (C.E.C.) meq/100g (net negative sharge per 100 g of clay) Double Diffused Layer (DDL) C.E.C: Comparison Mineral Specific surface (m7/g) | C.E.C (meq/100g) Kaolinite 10-20 3-10 Mlite/Mica 80-100 20-30 Montmorillonite 800 80-120Engineer ng Estimate of Water Holding Capacity Border line water contents, separating the different states of a fine grained soil 0 Shrinkage Plastic Liquid Water content limit limit limit a —— brittle-solid semi-solid plastic liquid O Liquid Limit (w, or LL): Clay flows like liquid when w > LL o Plastic Limit (wp or PL): Lowest water content where the clay is still plastic Shrinkage Limit (ws or SL): At wCarbonate rocks ‘Primarily calcium carbonate or combinations of calcium and magnesium carbonate lime ocaco,, No (limestone or Ag lime) oCa0 Yes (quicklime) Ca(OH), Yes (dry hydrated lime - can also be in slurryform) Cool, CO, | — = OsSpecification ASTM C 977-84 [ceco, | me 080 C02 [Hest Low co, | CaO Solubility v. pH ie aa BLT SaBasic Lime-Soil Reactions 44 step process Cation exchange or Ca(OH), crowding (according to Diamond and Kinter) oFlocculation/agglomeration oPozzolanic reaction oCarbonation 1. Cation Exchange Positive ions (cations) from Calcium (+2) replace existing Sodium (+1) or Potassium (+1) ions along the clay particle face. UEither cement or lime can provide the calcium for this process to occur (cement has lower free lime)Cation Exchange lay Particle Sedhzn lout B20 go 2080 oi ee 2590.59 Sos Bee? tl Dipolar HO ERA MGV | 1 Cation Exchange Property of Clays can be Used to find Optimum Lime Content (pH Test) high pH (> 12) environment when water added to CaO ' Positive ions {cations) from Calcium (+2) _ 1 replace existing Sodium (+1) or Potassium © (+1) ions along the clay particle face. ® Up stabilizes when Ca®* requirement is Be cease met2. Flocculation/Agglomeration Cstructure of clay particles changes from being flat and parallel to an edge-to-face orientation. UThis causes: ra oReduction ir Pl (increase in plasticlimit) — —_Unstabilized clay particles colncrease in shear strength oMore granular texture Clay after flocculation/agglomeration Effect of Cation Adsorption and Flocculation on Clays and Attracted Water Layer ‘Na Saturation Ca‘ Saturation 0,00 “00 |Modification vs Stabilization Modification (Strength improvement < 50 psi) Suppression of DDL oTextural change colmproved workability and development of construction platform Quick reaction Ostabilization ©Pozzolanic reaction Strength gain oReactions are time dependent Pozzolanic Reaction High pH (> 12) environment when water added to CaO CSH 0 (pHf) t e Soistca + - a SiO, and AIO, beceme soluble in high pH Catt + SiO, + H,0 Catt + AIO, + Hp ozzolanic reaction Peer cueBenefits of Pozzolanic Reactions Oslow-controlled rate of strength gain ULess shrinkage cracking ClAutogenous healing throughout life - healing of micro cracks (environmentally and load-induced) Good potential to achieve target window of strength and stiffness Engineering Properties of Stabilized Soils UME CONTENT AND PLASTICITY UME CONTENT AND CURE TIME ON SWELL = So S| 300 23 swarms 2 cr a ae 5 100 q = i ° orzaase7es 6 Hare LineEngineering Properties Cont'd... EFFECT OF CURING TIME RESILIENT MODULUS 7000 sca a AS so 4000 aed on 3000 ‘exeod Modulus, MPa 300. eo bea poe os 200 lars Dry 1000 100! lars wet ° ° SC) Lael ee USGIN US 82E US 82W US 45N Sol Clic Pavement UCCS - CALTRANS ‘Tatay 40°C Cure and Capillary Soak Effect of Mineralogy on Strength and Reactivity 2500 2000 Georgia Kaolinte - 1500 *Victoria Clay Hee pamner = so “= Wyoming Smectite 0 + 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 % Hydrated LimeMix Design Overview (Details available in reference materials) Fae testing (>3000 ppm: follow guidelines on stabilizing sulfate rich i Crganic content (>1%: additional amount of additives needed) CiMoisture-density curve, pH (Lime treatment), Plasticity index modifier percentage selection Strength testing QCompact within 120 hours of initial mixing Mixing, Compaction and Specifications Details discussed during talk from Road Construction & Rehabilitation Technologies (Er. Sanjay Gupta, Writgen) Specifications will be discussed in presentation on Case Studies on Ground Improvement and Instrumentation (Dr. Guruvittal)Soil Stabilization with Cement Cement-Bound Materials in Pavements _ Conventional or Roller-Compacted Concrete x ‘Whitetopping ue ous surfaceCement-Modified Soil Cement factors normally 4% to 7% Reduces or eliminates swell potential of plastic soils Reduces plasticity index (PI) Oincreases bearing ability of granular or plastic soils Produces permanent foundation for pavements. Uses of Cement-Modified Soi Application Clay Soil | Sandy Soil Subgrade Stabilization/ Subgrade x x Improvement Subbase for Flexible and Soil- x x Cement Pymts Subbase for Concrete Pavements x Bzse Course for Flexible x Pavements Shoulders Pa ¥ Resricted to AT A-2-4,Stabilization Mechanism Mechanism Clay Soil Sandy Soil Cation Exchange x Flocculation x Agglomeration x ——> SS Hydration x x Pozzolanic Reaction x Cement Hydration (Does not occur with lime) Cement + Water = Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (Cementitious Gel) fe Calcium Hydroxide (Hydrated Lime) Since hydration continues to occur over many years, calcium ions continue to be generated for cation exchange.Hydration (Cement Only) Unhydrated Cement Grain Clay Particle Clay-cement bonds Products (C-S-H and Pozzolanic Reaction Hydrated Lime + Silica => Calcium-silicate-hydrate Hydrated Lime + Alumina => Calcium-aluminate-hydrate gu og 4 Supplied by Clay Cementitious Cement Minerals Gel Hydration Note: In sandy soils (without silica or alumina-based clay minerals) this process does not occurPozzolanic Reaction ‘Cementitious material from ‘cement hydration (cement only) exon, Clay Particle (Si0,,A1,0,) reactions (C-S-H. and C-A-I) com, Stabilization Processes — Time Line 1. Cation Exchange and Flocculation/Agglomeration = Immediate to a few hours 2, Cement Fydratic [Karpeststrenstipain ment Fydration Largest strength gain between | day and 1 month 3. Pozzolani: Reaction [Slowly ‘over months Qa and yearsDiffuse Cementation Otnitially, calcium on soil lump surfaces Over time, calcium migrates into clay, improving properties UO Process occurs with either cement or lime Plasticity Index Reduction Effect of Cement Modification on Plasticity Index for 11 Clay Soils 0% 3% 5% Cement Percent by Weight Question: Why is cement less effective for high PI soils ??Strength Gain Effect of Curing Age on Compressive Strength for 2 Clays ‘Soil 10 @3% — -Soil 10 @ 5% Soil 11 @3% fssrs:Soik doen @ 50% ‘AV and 25, respectively Comp.Strength (psi) 32838 Mixing and Compaction UField mixed, compacted immediately UProlonged nixing possible, with intermittent agitation of soil compressive strengths decrease with prolonged mixing 014% to 20% reduction w/ 24 hour delay Properties still significantly improved Density decteased, optimum moisture increasedCompaction Delay-Strength Effect of Cement Treatment and Compaction Delay on 28-day Compressive Strength for 3 Clays z 400 = 300 i) @ Untreated B 200 No Delay 2 100 15 24-Hr Delay g 0 2 (Pist9) 9 (PIe36) —_10(Pi=41) Questions ???