A case study - Stabilization of dispersive soil using lime

The clayey soil used in the construction of Ash-dump yard bund, Kasimpur Power House, India experienced severe piping effect. It was suspected that the soil used for the bund is having dispersive properties. In order to establish the dispersiveness of the soil, various identification tests like, crumb test, SCS dispersion test and Pinhole test were conducted on the soil samples collected form the site. The soil was identified having dispersive characteristics. The soil was stabilized by using hydrated lime (1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 2.5% and 3.0% by weight of soil). The stabilized samples were again tested and it was observed that the addition of 2.5% hydrated lime makes the soil non-dispersive. Besides dispersiveness, the stabilized soil samples were also tested for strength characteristic by using unconfined compression test. It was observed that the addition of lime brings out substantial increase in strength as well.