Soil stabilization is a term for any chemical, biological, physical, or combined method of changing a natural soil to enhance its physical properties and meet an engineering purpose. Doing this increases the shear strength of a soil and/or controls the shrink-swell properties of a soil, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of a subgrade to support pavements and foundations.
Improving the soils by 4 to 6 times is the main objective of soil stabilization. The other prime objective is improving on-site materials to create a solid and strong sub-base and base courses. Soil stabilization is used by contractors to improve the weight bearing capabilities and performance of subsoils, sands, and other waste materials to strengthen parking lots, road surfaces and building pads. It is done by using binding properties of clay soils, cement-based products such as CKD, Flyash or Lime with water and utilizing compaction to obtain a denser base.
To pulverize the soil and mix the materials, special machinery is used. For clay soils, lime and water are added to introduce heat to the soil. For sandy soils, cement dust (CKD) or flyash is added and then water is added to activate the material. The surface is graded and compacted to the proper density. Using this process increases the density of the subsurface and gives a superior base for asphalt or concrete and a better moisture barrier.
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