The First National Conference on Civil Engineering and Environment (NCC2E’2021)

24 -25 Mai 2021

INVESTIGATION OF THE STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT AND

PERMEABILITY OF SAND-LIME-CLAY
Abd Elmalik GOUFI1, Khelifa Harichane2 ,Zaimla Harichane3, Mohamed Ghrici4
Geomaterials Laboratory, University Hassiba Benbouali, N°19 Ouled Fares, Chlef, Algeria.

a.goufi@univ-chlef.dz, k_harichane@yahoo.com , z.harichane@univ-chlef.dz, m.ghrici@univ-chlef.dz

Abstract
The demand for land is increasing day by day owing to the rapid urbanization
and industrialization in developing countries, this leads to the unavailability of
good construction sites, and thus, it becomes inevitable to construct on
problematic soils or unsuitable soils. In this study, an experimental research
program was de-signed to investigate the behavior of clayey soil before and after
stabilization. A series of tests that included permeability, unconfined
compressive strength (UCS), split tensile strength and Eades and Grim PH test
was carried out to ob-tain the initial consumption of lime (ICL) of soil-lime and
soil–sand-lime mixes at 28 days of cure. Dune sand and lime were added to the
clayey soil at different percentages depending on the dry weight of the soil. Test
results showed that the addition of 10% and 20% of dune sand to the studied soil
decreased its initial consumption of lime (ICL), indicating that pozzolanic
reaction creates a form of pre-consolidation in the sand-lime stabilized clay. On
the other hand, the addition of lime can increase flocculation, aggregations and
hydraulic conductivity. More-over, it leads to the formation of cementitious
compounds through pozzolanic re-actions that bind soil particles together and
improve the mechanical characteristics of the soil. These phenomena result in the
improvement of the soil workability and of its mechanical behavior after
compaction.
Key words
Clay, dune sand, lime, PH, permeability, strength.

1. Introduction

In generally, partially saturated clayey soils having high plasticity are very sensitive to variations on
their water content and show excessive volume changes during wetting and/or drying cycle process.
Such soils, when they increase in volume because of an increase in their water contents, are classified
as expansive soils. Clayey soils are considered by civil engineers to be problematic soils because they
cause severe damage of the structures built on it. The problems encountered with these types of soils
are usually heaving, cracking and breaking of pavements, building foundations, railways, highway
embankments, roadways, slab-on-grade members, channels irriga-tion systems, water lines, sewer
lines and reservoir linings [1-3]. At present, with the prosperous development of in-frastructures, there
is a scarcity of good quality soils to develop these networks; and areas with expansive clayey soil
must be involved to compensate for this lack. In this case, ground improvement is necessary to
 The First National Conference on Civil Engineering and Environment (NCC2E’2021)
24 -25 Mai 2021

overcome the problems associated with expansive clays. Chemical stabilization of expansive soil with
different types of min-eral solid wastes has been successfully used for more than three decades [6-5-
7]. One conventionally used material is lime; this material is considered effective, economic and eco-
friendly compared with other materials. Lime treatment can change many important ge-otechnical
properties of clayey soils because lime decreases their plasticity index (PI), and increases shear
parameters, compressive strength, lift coefficient of the clay and California (CBR), while eliminating
almost all swelling problems [3-4]. Dune sand is very cheaper and very abundant in the western and
southern parts of Algeria. The use of dune sand and its combination with lime in conjunction with soft
clayey soils needs to be investigated. Moreover, factors that should be considered in choosing
stabilizing agents are abundance, low costs and easy to obtain.
However, limited research had been conducted in order to investigate the suitabil-ity of using dune
sand in soil stabilization in combination with lime. [7] used dune sand from natural resources for
stabilization of soils. They car-ried out tests of Shrinkage and Direct Shear of clay-sand mixture, but
this study did not analyze important properties such as permeability, unconfined compressive strength
and split tensile strength
In this paper, the results of four series of tests including Eades and Grim test, un-confined
compressive strength split tensile strength permeability were performed on clay-dune sand-lime
samples.
2. Experimental program
This section describes the various materials that were adopted in this work and the methodology
adopted in going about the investigation.

2.1 Materials used

The soil samples used in this research is collected from Sidi-Hadjres (Algeria). The geographic
coordinates of the study site is (35°40’30"N and 4°02'16"E). Oeud-Souf dune sand was chosen in this
study. Table 1 present the physical properties of the soil and dunes sand.

Table 1. Physical properties of the soil and dunes sand.

Parameters Soil Sand

Liquid limit 85.9 NP

Plasticity
51.0 NP
index
Amount of
98 0.4
fines
CH SP
Classification

2.2 Lime
Lime used in this study is commercially available hydrated lime, taken from SARL-BSM Company,
Algeria.
2.3 PH concentration

The optimum lime content (OLC) is determined by the test for measuring the pH of the soil-lime and
soil-sand-lime mixture described in Standard ASTM D6276-99a, the origin of which is the study by
Eades and Grim (1996). This method makes it possible to determine the minimum lime dosage so that
the soil-sand-lime mixture reaches a pH level equal to 12.4.
 The First National Conference on Civil Engineering and Environment (NCC2E’2021)
24 -25 Mai 2021

2.4 Unconfined Compression strength and Split Tensile Tests

The procedures for the unconfined compression tests adhered to ASTM D 2166. UCS is the maximum
rupture load of the material or the pressure corresponding the peak in a stress–strain curve.
The split tensile strength tests of adhered to ASTM D3967. Split tensile strength qt was adopted in
accordance with the following expression:
qt= 2Prd/πDH (1).

Where Prd = rupture load at the peak of the diametric stress–strain curve; and D and H are the diameter
and height of the test specimen, respectively.

3. Results and discussions

3.1 PH Concentration:
Table. 2 demonstrate the influence of different concentrations of lime and sand on pH of a stabilized
sample after 28 days of curing. Prior to the preparation of lime and sand-treated samples, pH tests
were also carried out to obtain general information on the amount of lime to be mixed into the clay
and clay-sand mixture. Eads and Grim (1966) developed a quick test to determine if a soil is lime-
reactive and how much lime, in percent by weight, is necessary to achieve a desired volume change
reduction. The lowest percent lime to produce a pH of 12.4 is termed “optimum lime content” (Nelson
and Miller, 1992). In the current study, a pH value (12.4) was achieved in the case of an 8.67%,
6.50%, 3.34% lime mixture for clay mixed with 0% 10% and 20% of dunes sand respectively. When
we add sand to the clay, optimum lime content (OLC) reduced about 25.03% and 61.48% after adding
10% and 20% of dune sand respectively.

Table 2. Influence of different concentrations of lime and sand on PH.

Designatio Soil + 0% Soil + 10% Soil + 20%
n Sand Sand Sand
OLC 8,67 6,5 3,34

3.2 Unconfined Compression and Split Tensile Tests

Table 3 show the variation of the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and split tensile strength (STT)
of soil-lime treated soil with dunes sand of specimens prepared at the MDD and corresponding OMC for
curing periods of 28 days. There was generally an increase in the (UCS) and (STT) with increase in the
sand content and decrease of the lime. Two pozzolanic can explain this behavior chemical reactions
occurs: cation exchange and flocculation–agglomeration. In the cation exchange and flocculation–
agglomeration reactions, the monovalent cations generally associated with clays are replaced by the
divalent calcium ions.
 The First National Conference on Civil Engineering and Environment (NCC2E’2021)
24 -25 Mai 2021

Table 3. Variation of USC and STT.

Designation Soil + 0% Sand Soil + 10% Sand Soil + 20% Sand

UCS 598 631 801

STT 88 97 118

3.3 Permeability

Table 4 show the variation of the coefficient of permeability of soil-lime treated soil with dunes sand of
specimens prepared at the MDD and corresponding OMC for curing periods of 28 days. There was
generally an increase in the coefficient of permeability with increase in the lime content because of the
partial dissociation of the calcium hydroxide. The calcium ions in turn combined with the reactive silica
or alumina, or both. The permeability of the soil-lime-sable specimens increases with increase sand
content and decrease lime content.

Table 4. Variation of coefficient of permeability.

Naturel soil Soil + 10% Soil + 20%
Designation Soil + 0% Sand
Sand Sand

K(cm/s) 4.81E-9 4,56E-05 5,40E-05 6,11E-05

4. Conclusions

A laboratory investigation was undertaken to study the effect of dune sand and lime on the geotechnical
properties of clayey soils. The main results allow the following conclusions to be drawn:

 The decrease in the optimum lime content is directly proportional after adding sand content used.

 The increase in the split tensile strength and compressive strength is directly proportional to the
lime and sand content used, yielding maximum values for the studied soils.

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