Details:

Alternative Title:
Project title: Mitigating the effects of organics in stabilized soils
Creators:
Harvey, Omar ; Harris, Pat ; Sebesta, Stephen
Harvey, Omar ; Harris, Pat ; Sebesta, Stephen Less -
Corporate Creators:
Texas Transportation Institute
Corporate Contributors:
Texas. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Federal Highway Administration
Texas. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Federal Highway Administration Less -
Subject/TRT Terms:
[+]
Humus--Testing--Handbooks, Manuals, Etc. Soils--Organic Compound Content--Testing--Handbooks, Manuals, Etc. Handbooks Humus Manuals Organic Soils Soil Components Soils Testing
Publication/ Report Number:
FHWA/TX-11/5-5540-01-P4
Resource Type:
Tech Report
Geographical Coverage:
Texas
OCLC Number:
729613545
Edition:
Technical report; Sept. 2009-Aug. 2010.
Corporate Publisher:
Texas Transportation Institute
NTL Classification:
NTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Soils and Geology
Abstract:
The Texas Department of Transportation has been having problems with organic matter in soils that they

stabilize for use as subgrade layers in road construction. The organic matter reduces the effectiveness of

common soil additives (lime/cement) in stabilization projects. The researchers developed a technique using

UV-Vis spectroscopy to measure the harmful organic matter in another project (0-5540). This project

consisted of purchasing three UV-Vis instruments, equipping them with software to measure the organic

matter and doing two trainings with the Texas Department of Transportation. Following the trainings, four

laboratories analyzed 20 natural soil samples and three laboratory standards to determine repeatability and

reproducibility between the laboratories. Researchers also continued testing real project soils to see what

mitigation techniques researchers could use. Researchers determined that three replicates need to be run to

achieve 95 percent confidence that the measured value is the true value. Researchers determined that soils

with organic matter below 1.5 percent can be safely treated, and soils with an organic matter to Eades &

Grim optimum lime (OM:EG) ratio less than 0.5 have the greatest potential for mitigation with additional

lime application. Additionally, calcium chloride added to the soil with the lime improved the formation of

pozzolanic reaction products and strengths of some soils. This work illustrates the complex nature of organic

interactions with soil stabilizers and the many questions left unresolved.


Format:
PDF
Funding:
5-5540-01
Collection(s):
US Transportation Collection
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:9f0b0ea38fbc3febd69b132921a39ed0b3027c6e5f4a7aa6d11e97687e03ea10
Download URL:
https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/18437/dot_18437_DS1.pdf
File Type:

Supporting Files

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