Impact of Lime Stabilization on Swelling and Soil Water Retention Behavior of Expansive Subgrade

Abstract

The impact of lime-stabilized expansive subgrade based on swelling behavior and the soil water retention curve (SWRC) is investigated in this study. The soil selected for this research was a Quaternary age basaltic residual clay located in Victoria, Australia. The basaltic expansive clay forms subgrade layers of a major portion of Victoria’s transport infrastructure including local roads, state highways, and national freeways. The selected clay was stabilized using different percentages of lime including 2%, 3%, 4%, 6%, and 8%, and the physical properties of expansive and lime-stabilized specimens were evaluated. The optimum lime content was measured based on a swelling reduction for samples..