Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Lime-Treated Red Clay

This research conducted a triaxial test on lime-treated clay with different contents to analyze the effect of mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis were used to analyze the effect. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to analyze the chemical changes of calcium oxide on red clay. The results show that with the increase of calcium oxide content, the strength increases, and it can be increased by 282% at 200 kPa confining pressure. The calcium oxide in the red clay reacted with the water in the soil to form calcium hydroxide. The alkaline environment will erode the edge of the soil particles and cause pores to become larger. SEM observed that the addition of calcium oxide caused the agglomeration of soil particles and changed the pore structure of red clay. Low-field NMR showed that calcium oxide had a significant effect on the pore structure of red clay. Calcium oxide increased the total pore volume of the soil sample. Calcium oxide had a substantial influence on the three pore distribution ranges, I (1.1–11 µm), II (15–137 µm), and III (137–512 µm). The porosity fitted with shear strength, it negatively correlated with I and III, and positively correlated with II.