Effect of Surcharge Loading on Lime-Treated Cochin Marine Clay Subgrades

Marine clays possess poor engineering properties and need to be improved prior to any construction activities on them. Lime stabilization is a widely adopted method of chemical stabilization for such types of soils. This study analyzes the impact of surcharge loads on the lime stabilization of Cochin marine clay subgrades throughout the curing process. Two processes, namely cementation and consolidation, must be taken into account in the case of lime-stabilized soil cured under surcharge loads and how the structures of stabilized soils change over time, particularly in the early phases of curing when considerable structural changes take place. The strength and deformation properties of lime-stabilized Cochin marine clay that was subjected to surcharge loading during curing were examined. For varying curing period up to 180 days, surcharge loads of 3 kPa, 7 kPa, 10 kPa, 15 kPa and 20 kPa were applied on Cochin marine clay treated with 6% lime. The effect of surcharge loading on California bearing ratio (CBR) and compressibility characteristics was evaluated at different curing periods. It was found that the application of surcharge load during curing improved the CBR and compressibility of samples drastically, with and without lime treatment. Compressibility and settlement of marine clay subgrades were found to decrease and yield stress was increased due to the combined effect of surcharge loading and lime treatment.