Variations in strength of lime-treated soft clays

Strength is often the most significant parameter in measuring the effect of soil improvement in geotechnical engineering practice. In this paper, a primary study is made of the variation in unconfined compressive strength of lime-treated soft clays under various practical conditions. There are three major factors that affect the strength development: lime content, curing time, and curing temperature. The variations in strength with the three factors are analysed and quantified by proposed empirical equations. These equations are verified against experimental data independently. Based on an analysis of the above simulations, a general strength equation is proposed, unifying the influence of all the three factors into a single equation. The capacity of the general equation is demonstrated and it is seen that the proposed strength equations have the potential for predicting the strength of lime-treated clays under various conditions