Strength characteristics of lime-treated marine clay

Abstract

Weak marine clay deposits of low strength and high compressibility are located in many coastal and offshore areas of the world. There are several foundation problems encountered in these weak marine soils. The application of lime to improve the engineering behaviour of fine-grained soils is not new. The present investigation explains the lime-induced changes on the strength characteristics of different treated systems in a marine environment. The formation of various new reaction products has been identified using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The test results indicate an improvement in soil strength by eight to ten times that of untreated soil except for the quicklime-sodium sulphate system. This aspect encourages the application of both lime column and lime injection techniques to improve the engineering behaviour of marine clays.