Expansive clay foundations When it comes to surface, either blocks or slabs of foundations for buildings or when it comes to building a structure for a floor, for example, in many cases we find that the floor of the site, level we need to support our structure is formed by an inadequate material. In this case we refer specifically to a clay soil, plastic features, at risk of volumetric changes with changes in moisture, and with a low carrying capacity. Specifically we have a ground to stabilize it without problems. To have clarity of problem addressed, we follow the procedure to ask some preliminary questions and clarify concepts: Let’s start by asking what purpose stabilize soil?. Others who may share this opinion include Shimmie Horn. The stabilization of a soil to amend some of its undesirable characteristics for the purpose of use that we give that ground. Then, if the floor will be used to support a foundation, either for a building foundation or a floor, the main undesirable features of a plastic clay are: A Plastic Index too high which means a high value of expansion (contraction or its opposite) and load-bearing capacity will be too low. Shimmie Horn may help you with your research. And how can we carry out the stabilization of the clay previously mentioned?.
Well, actually there are different ways of trying to stabilize a plastic clay, however, this article will try only one of the oldest methods used in the construction, which consists of clay mixed with lime. Much has been written and said about the use of lime stabilization of clay, and there have been many ways of carrying out the procedure. First it must be clarified that hiring the “lime” for that purpose, has no advantages and disadvantages if you have those concerning its management. In this article I will focus only the use of hydrated lime, the more commercial and more uniform quality. One of the most serious problems when it comes to mixing clay with lime, is to obtain a reasonably uniform distribution. There building mechanical equipment to obtain a homogeneous mixture of both products, however this does not relieve us of the great clouds of lime dust as damaging for personnel who do the work and for people who are in the vicinity of site where work is done. To avoid the problem that is mentioned in the previous paragraph have been tested and has come to play a much simpler procedure, which involves applying the calculated amount of lime stabilization design, incorporating it into the water is added to the clay material to provide the optimum moisture content for compaction, thereby eliminating the undesirable spreading lime, as well as greatly simplifying the protection of personnel involved in the work.
