Reappraisal of optimum lime content determination for lime stabilization of fine-grained soils

In this era of steadfast industrial developments and expansion of urban areas, lime stabilization is an attractive proposition for upgrading the engineering performance of problematic fi negrained soils. The optimum lime content which allows for maximum performance of lime-treated soil is determined using various conventional methods; however, none of them accounted for the potential influence of soil mineralogy as well as placement moisture and curing conditions. Hence, there is an element of uncertainty since lime content marginally above or below optimal value can impart dramatic effects on treated soil. Based on these accounts, this manuscript presents the results of a multi-scale approach implemented to highlight the signifi cance of virgin soil properties, placement moisture content and curing conditions upon the amendment of strength characteristics of lime-treated soil. For this purpose, unconfi ned compressive strength tests have been performed on lime-treated soils with diverse mineralogy, after subjecting to different compaction states and curing conditions.