Bentel, Gary Michael2015-01-082015-01-082015-01-08http://hdl.handle.net/10539/16230The 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 solutionenThesis