The influence of soil types and stabilizing agents on the engineering properties of stabilized soil for use in embarkment dams
Date
2015-01-08
Authors
Bentel, Gary Michael
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Abstract
The thesis considers the feasibility of using marginal soils, stabilized with hydrated
lime or ordinary Portland Cement as an alternative construction material
for embankment dams.
A n historical review discusses some prior successful applications o f soil-cement,
soil-lime and roller contacted concrete in hydraulic structures.
T he principles of soil stabilization with lime and cement Me presented as an introduction
to the laboratory testing programme. The testing program me considers
aspects of engineering properties fundamental to embankment d am construction.
These include compaction characteristics, unconfined compressive strength, shear
strength, flexural strength, shrinkage characteristics and permeability.
Since the stabilized material will require protection by a durable facing, the
durability of the materials are considered, b u t to a limited extent, as are the
thermal properties. Further research is required to investigate the suitability of
the presently accepted durability test methods which appear to be to o harsh for
soil-lime.
The engineering properties o f the untreated soils, which would probably n o t be
considered suitable for conventional embankment dam s construction, are significantly
enhanced by the addition of the stabilizers. The resulting stabilized materials
present the designer with a variety o f alternative materials suitable for dam
construction. Cost savings relative to conventional dam building materials result
from a significant reduction in the construction time.
Although the properties of soil-lime and soil-cement may differ, e.g. in time rate
of strength development, this is seen as an advantage in the consideration of
alternative design options in arriving at a creative cost- effective solution