Lakshmi Krishnan
Independent Researcher
India
Abstract
Soil stabilization is a critical process in geotechnical engineering to improve the physical properties of problematic soils for construction and infrastructure development. This study investigates the geotechnical behavior of soil stabilized with fly ash and lime as additives. Fly ash, a by-product of thermal power plants, and lime, a traditional stabilizer, were used individually and in combination to enhance soil strength, reduce plasticity, and improve durability. Laboratory tests including Atterberg limits, compaction, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), California Bearing Ratio (CBR), and permeability were conducted on soil samples with varying percentages of additives. The results indicate significant improvement in soil properties, with the combined use of fly ash and lime showing synergistic effects in increasing strength and reducing permeability. The findings support the use of fly ash and lime as cost-effective, sustainable stabilizers in geotechnical applications, especially in road subgrades and foundation soils.
Keywords
Soil stabilization, fly ash, lime, geotechnical properties, unconfined compressive strength, California Bearing Ratio, Atterberg limits, compaction, permeability.
REFERENCES
Zhang, J.-R., & Cao, X. (2002). Stabilization of expansive soil by lime and fly ash. Soils and Foundations, 42(3), 17–24. researchgate.net
Turner, F. J., Edil, T. B., & Benson, C. H. (2012). Performance assessment of lime and fly ash chemically treated subgrade. Iowa State University Transportation Research Institute Report. intrans.iastate.edu
Meyer, L. D., & Metcalf, J. B. (1979). Lime and fly ash proportions in soil–lime–fly ash mixtures. Transportation Research Record, 335, 1–12. onlinepubs.trb.org
Edil, T. B., & Benson, C. H. (1993). Stabilization of soft fine-grained soils with pozzolans. In GeoCongress ’93, Vol. 1, pp. 439–451. onlinepubs.trb.org
Pani, A., & Singh, S. P. (2017). Effect of curing temperature on the strength and microstructure of lime-amended fly ash. Indian Geotechnical Journal, 47(3), 249–257. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Indiramma, P., & Sudharani, C. (2010). Stabilization of a clayey soil with fly ash and lime: A micro-level investigation. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 3(4), 692–697. researchgate.net
Pandian, N. S., Krishna, K. C., & Leelavathamma, B. (2002). Effect of fly ash on the CBR behaviour of soils. In Proceedings of the Indian Geotechnical Conference (Vol. 1, pp. 183–186).
Little, D. N. (2000). Evaluation of structural properties of lime-stabilized soils and aggregates: Mixture design and testing protocol. TRB Transportation Research Circular E-C074, 1–21. researchgate.net
Kumar, A., & Ramanjaneyulu, K. (2005). Strength and microstructure of lime–fly ash stabilized clayey soils. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 17(6), 653–662.
Silva, P. R., & Mendes, J. M. (2019). Hydraulic conductivity and shear strength of fly ash–lime stabilized expansive clays. Engineering Geology, 256, 105–113.
