Quantification of the effects of nitrates, phosphates and chlorides on soil stabilization with lime and cement

Despite the scant quantitative data available in the literature, it has been hypothesized that some chemical compounds can have deleterious effects on soil stabilization with lime and cements (e.g., nitrates, phosphates and chlorides). This study intends to assess their influence on soil stabilization quantitatively. An original experimental procedure was followed. Selected soils were mixed with a potential deleterious compound at a concentration representative of what can be found in the field. The performance of the different mixtures in terms of soil stabilization was then assessed by performing mechanical tests on samples submitted to several curing conditions (temperature and humidity). The results showed that the tested compounds are likely to alter the soil stabilization processes and thus lower the mechanical performance of the stabilized soil. The results also showed that it is not possible to determine a single threshold value for the compounds considered because their influence on soil stabilization is also a function of the nature of the soil (silt or fine sand), the type of cement (CEM I or CEM II) and the curing conditions. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.