The influence of freeze-thaw cycles on unconfined compressive strength of clay soils treated with lime

Abstract

There are several questions that are not well understood with respect to the long-term stability characteristics of lime-treated clay soils in spite of being used as a conventional technique to improve the properties of clay soils. This paper investigates the influence of freeze-thaw cycles on the unconfined compressive strength of kaolinite and illite mixed with silica sand. The results of this study show that an increase in the number of freeze-thaw cycles decreases the unconfined compressive strength. The role of lime increasing the soil strength is more significant in the case of samples exposed to freeze-thaw cycles compared to those not exposed to freeze-thaw cycles. The effect of freeze-thaw cycles on the dry unit weight and moisture content is insignificant compared to unexposed samples. The maximum volumetric changes occurred in the first freeze-thaw cycle, and afterward, the rate of volume change decreased with an increase in freeze—thaw cycles.