Soil Stabilization using Lime-Activated Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag

Abstract

Soil stabilization with cement or lime is a well established technique for use in highway or foundation construction. Extensive laboratory investigations and a full-scale trial have been carried out to evaluate the performance of ground granulated blast furnace slag (ggbs) in combination with lime, for stabilizing soils. This paper reports the results of laboratory tests for strength and swelling, and also describes the full-scale trial. The applicability of lime/ggbs combinations has been demonstrated. In addition, laboratory tests have shown a previously undemonstrated advantage where the incorporation of ggbs combats the deleterious swelling which can occur when sulphate-containing soils are stabilized with cement or lime.