The role of soil is crucial for the design and construction of any structure, be it roads, runways, or railway tracks. This is because it acts as the medium for effective load transfer into the earth.
This implies that a weak soil base will eventually cause the settlement of the structure, leading to failure. Stabilization is the process of improving the engineering properties of the soil before construction.
Stabilization is done to improve the strength of the soil and shrink/arrest the swelling potential, thus improving the load-bearing capacity and the overall performance of the in-situ soils.
Mechanical stabilization
Mechanical stabilization It consists of physical processes such as compacting or tamping with machinery including rollers or hammers.
Mechanical soil stabilization is also achieved by blending different soil particles to obtain the effective distribution of soil particles. These techniques are usually used for sub-base and base courses.
Chemical stabilization
Chemical stabilization depends on the chemical reaction between the chemical/stabilizer used and the soil particle composition.
This kind has many forms: Bitumen emulsion is used as a binding agent in both cohesive and non-cohesive soils.
Cement/Lime is widely used as a soil stabilizing agent. The addition of cement to soil improves the strength of the soil. It is used for the sub-base and base courses of all types of pavement.