Creating A Gorgeous Garden

A Comprehensive Guide to Lime Stabilization

19 November 2021 by Tiffany Gonzales

Lime has become an essential soil stabilizing agent for many applications. Most people prefer it because it's highly effective in boosting long-term soil strength, workability, and durability. Moreover, the entire soil stabilization process eliminates the need for soil removal and replacement projects, which are time-consuming and costly. That makes it a godsend if you work on a construction project like a railroad, dam, or airfield. But, before you use lime for soil stabilization, you need to consider the following:

1.       Lime type

Various types of lime are used in soil stabilization, including lime slurry, hydrated lime (calcium hydroxide), and quicklime (calcium oxide). However, most contractors prefer using hydrated lime and quicklime in road stabilization. The reason is, these types of lime have proven incredibly successful in reducing plasticity and swell, drying moist soil, and improving stability. Plus, lime stabilization facilitates the construction of a solid working platform. If you need to stabilize soils with high swelling minerals in-situ, experts also recommend lime slurry as a viable option. Since various applications have different requirements, closely examine your project and consult soil stabilization experts before picking a particular lime type.

2.       Soil type

Soil can be categorized as sandy, clay, loamy, silty, peaty, or chalky. Soil stabilization is recommended for reactive soil types only. Reactive soil is essentially one that shrinks on drying but swells when it's wet. Of all the main soil types, clay is known chiefly for its reactivity to changing moisture content. Besides, for lime stabilization to be effective, a particular soil should react with lime. And for that to happen, the soil must contain sufficient amounts of pozzolan. That way, the addition of lime and water into the soil results in a reaction that leaves behind cementitious properties.

3.       Additives

Did you know you can use materials known as additives to make a particular lime-soil mix better and boost its strength? Most professionals recommend chemical additives such as sodium hydroxide, sodium metasilicate, and sodium sulfate. If you can't access any of these, consider using cement, surkhi (brick dust), or fly ash. These alternatives, especially fly ash, are readily available and reasonably priced in most regions. If your priority is stabilizing clay soil with subgrade properties, the combination of lime and cement ought to provide the required strength gain.

4.       Curing

The quality of soil you get after lime stabilization is highly dependent on curing. First, you must ensure the lime-soil mix has undergone proper curing during the initial phases of lime stabilization. The reason is, during this time, the soil strength gain is optimum. However, note that the strength gain rate in a particular application relies on numerous factors, including local temperatures and humidity levels. Work with a skilled and experienced soil stabilization expert to ensure proper curing is incorporated in all your projects. 

For more information about lime stabilization, speak with a landscaper near you.

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