IRJET- A Brief Review on Various Methods and Materials Used for Stabilization of Soil

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 05 Issue: 03 | Mar-2018 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2018, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 6.171 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal | Page 682
A BRIEF REVIEW ON VARIOUS METHODS AND MATERIALS USED FOR
STABILIZATION OF SOIL
Ayushi Lakhanpal1, Avani Chopra2
1Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Chandigarh University, Punjab, India
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Abstract - Soil is an important part of the construction
industry. Be it constructing any structure on it or using it
as a building material, its significance cannot be
neglected. Soil is found in abundance on the earth’s
surface, but all of it is not suitable for carrying out
construction on it. The engineering properties of soil vary
from place to place. Thus proper tests are required to be
performed on the soil to check its suitability for
construction. In earlier times when soil of a particular
place was found to be unfit for construction then it was
completely replaced by another soil having better
properties. But gradually as time passed this technique
proved to be very costly and difficult. Thus a new
technique of stabilizing the soil was used in which the soil
was stabilized by adding various materials in it, thus
improving the soil properties. Materials like lime and
cement were mostly used for soil stabilization. But now a
day’s alternative materials like waste from various
industries such as marble dust, waste foundry sand, fly ash
etc are used for stabilizing the soil due to scarcity of the
conventional materials. Apart from the material used the
method applied for stabilizing the soil is also important.
Soil stabilization is done using various methods such as
mechanical and chemical stabilization. This paper
presents an appraisal on the various materials and
methods used to stabilize the soil.
Keywords: soil stabilization, mechanical, chemical,
lime, cement, fly ash
1. INTRODUCTION –
The word “soil” is derived from the latin word “solium”,
which basically means the upper layer of the earth’s
crust. To a geologist soil is that material on which plants
can grow while for an engineer, soil is the material
formed by the disintegration of rocks on which buildings
and other structures can be built. It is also an important
material used in construction. According to the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research soils are classified into
8 main categories, they are, alluvial soil, red soil, laterite
soil, black cotton soil, mountainous or forest soils, arid or
desert soils, saline or alkaline soils, peaty or marshy
soils. Each type of soil has different type of chemical
composition as well as different properties. Based upon
the geographical locations the soil availability varies
from place to place. For example the arid soils are found
mostly in the areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan while the
laterite soils are found in regions of Assam, Mysore etc.
The engineering properties of these soils need to be
checked properly before starting the construction work
as all the soils are not suitable for construction always. In
earlier times when soil of a particular place was found to
be unfit for construction then it was completely replaced
by another soil having better properties. But gradually as
time passed this technique proved to be very costly and
difficult. Thus a new technique of stabilizing the soil was
used in which the soil was stabilized by adding various
materials in it, thus improving the soil properties. Apart
from the materials used the methods used for stabilizing
the soil are also equally important. The right selection of
material and method will stabilize the soil properly
which will thus increase the bearing capacity thereby
making it fit for construction. One of the recent examples
of a building failure due to loose soil occurred in
Bangalore city of India. A five-storey building under
construction at Vinayaka Layout near Electronic City
caved in dramatically, apparently due to a weak
foundation and poor quality of materials used in the
construction [1]. Below picture shows the tilted building.
2. METHODS USED FOR STABILIZATION OF SOIL
The main purpose of the soil stabilization process is to
increase the bearing capacity of the soil, thus making it
fit for construction. A lot of methods are employed for
stabilizing the soil. The 3 main methods are mechanical

stabilization, chemical stabilization and stabilization
with the help of geosynthetics.
2.1 Mechanical stabilization-
Mechanical solutions involve physically changing the
property of the soil somehow, in order to affect its
gradation, solidity, and other characteristics [2].
Dynamic compaction and Vibro compaction are the two
techniques used for mechanical stabilization. In vibro
compaction the soil is compacted with the help of
vibrations while dynamic compaction uses a heavy
weight for the same. This is one of the oldest methods of
stabilizing the soil.
2.2 Chemical stabilization-
Chemical solutions are the techniques that rely on
adding an additional material to the soil that will
physically interact with it and change its properties [3].
Lime and cement are the most common and the oldest
materials used for stabilizing the soil chemically. But
with the advent of new materials and excess of industrial
waste available, lime and cement are now used less.
Some of the industrial wastes that are used are fly ash,
kiln dust, marble dust, foundry sand etc.
2.3 Geosynthetic stabilization-
Geogrids are used in geosynthetic stabilization, to
reinforce the road sections. Geogrid with reduced
aggregate thickness option is designed for urban area
and this provides a stable working platform
corresponding to 97 percent of CBR [4].
3. MATERIALS USED FOR STABILIZATION OF
SOIL
Apart from the methods employed the materials used for
stabilization also play an important in strengthening the
soil. Some of the conventional materials used are lime
and cement. But now days a lot of waste from the
industries is also used as stabilizing agents. Some of the
examples of the waste materials used are fly ash, foundry
sand, marble dust etc. By adding the appropriate
proportions of these materials in the soil, its index
properties can be significantly improved thereby making
it suitable for construction.
3.1 Stabilization using lime-
Jawad and Taha studied literature of the lime stabilised
soil extensively. They concluded that soil-lime mixtures
have advantages and disadvantages. Its advantages
consist of significant increase in the soil strength as well
as reduce plasticity while a considerable reduction in
consolidation settlement and improve compressibility
characteristics were observed [5]. P Bhengu and D Allopi
also carried out review on using lime as a soil stabilizing
agent. They stated that lime is an affordable chemical as
it is less expensive than potential substitutes used in
road soils stabilisation [6]. Thus although lime being an
old material is still very much feasible for use. The
suggested ratio for using lime in stabilizing the soil is
around 4% to 7% by the dry weight of the natural soil
[7]. Some of the main advantages by adding lime to soil
are, a considerable reduction in the moisture content,
increasing long term strength and a reduction in the
swelling potential.
3.2 Stabilization using cement-
Cement is one of those materials that is widely used in
the production of concrete. But apart from being an
important component of concrete, cement is used
extensively in the stabilization of soil also. Anil Pandey
and Ahsan Rabbani carried out an experimental study on
soil stabilization using cement, they added cement from
0% to 6% into the soil [8]. They observed that 5%
addition of cement to the soil gives outstanding results
with values like the optimum moisture content and
maximum dry density increasing considerably with the
addition of cement. The suggested ratio for using cement
in soil stabilization is around 4% to 6% by the dry
weight of soil [9]. Adding cement to the soil increases its
tensile and ductile strength thereby allowing the soil to
absorb more vibrations from the traffic of heavy vehicles
too. Also since cement has a water resistant property,
adding it to the soil makes it a leak proof surface.
3.3 Stabilization using fly ash-
Fly ash is a waste material that is obtained from the
burning of coal in electric power generating plants. If not
treated properly this fly ash causes a lot of harm to the
environment. A lot of fly ash is used in concrete as a
pozolanic material which helps in increasing its strength.
Similarly it can be used in soil also for stabilization.
Phanikumar and Sharma carried out an experimental
investigation to study the effect of fly ash on expansive
soils [10].They added fly ash in the ratio of 0% to 20%
on dry weight basis and observed that increase in fly ash
content reduces plasticity and there was a reduction in
the free swell index by upto 50% on addition of 20% of
flyash. The suggested ratio of fly ash usage in soil is
around 10% to 16% by the dry weight of the natural soil
[11]. Flyash is typically used in subgrade or subbase and
not as a surfacing material in the soil. Addition of flyash
in soil increases the workability as well as reduces the
shrink swell potential. Unlike the lime and cement,
utilizing flyash for stabilization is a more environment
friendly as well as a sustainable option.

4 CONCLUSION-
The safety of the building not only depends upon the
type and quality of the materials used but also depends a
lot on the engineering properties of the soil. If the
bearing capacity of the soil or the shear strength is not
enough to withstand the building load then the structure
might tilt or at times even fall. Thus it is very important
to carry out soil tests in the laboratory before starting
the construction process. The soil tests help to determine
the properties based upon which the necessary
stabilizing steps can be taken for its improvement if
required. A lot of research is continuously going on to
develop more and more standards that can help us in
making soil more safe and stable for construction. Apart
from the conventional materials like the lime and
cement, waste materials like fly ash, kiln dust etc are also
being used to stabilise the soil. By using these materials
in an effective way we are able to stop the harm caused
by them to the environment. Thus by taking proper
precautions prior to the construction process, a lot of
accidents can be prevented.
REFRENCES
[1] “5-storey building caves in”, Deccan Herald,
Bangalore, March 13 2012.
[2] 3 types of soil stabilization techniques,
globalroadtechnology.com.
[3] 3 types of soil stabilization techniques,
globalroadtechnology.com.
[4] Design procedures for soil modification or
stabilization, Office of geotechnical engineering, Indiana,
January 2008.
[5] I Jawad, M Taha, Z Majeed and T Khan, Soil
Stabilization Using Lime: Advantages, Disadvantages and
Proposing a Potential Alternative, Research Journal of
Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology 8(4): 510-
520, 2014.
[6] P Bhengu and D Allopi, Review on the lime-soil
stabilization as one of the successful technologies used in
improvement of road soil pavement layers strength,
Proceedings of the 35th Southern African Transport
Conference 2016.
January 2008.
[8] A Pandey and A Rabbani, Soil stabilisation using
cement, International Journal of Civil Engineering and
Technology, Volume 8, Issue 6, June 2017.
January 2008.
[10] B.R. Phanikumar and R Sharma, “Effect of flyash on
Engg properties of Expansive Soil” Journal of
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering Vol.
130, no 7,July 2004, pp. 764-767.
January 2008.

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