Evaluating the Long-Term Durability of Lime Treatment in Hydraulic Structures: Case Study on the Friant-Kern Canal

Abstract

The slopes along the Friant-Kern Canal were last treated in the 1970s with 4% quick lime to mitigate issues related to slope failure caused by expansive Porterville soils. The immediate benefits of lime treatment were well documented by the Bureau of Reclamation. However, questions remain over the long-term durability of lime-treated materials. In this study, we compare the engineering properties and changes in the soil mineralogy of treated and untreated sections to establish the effectiveness of lime after more than 40 years of performance. A geochemical model was developed using the GEM-Selektor program to simulate the geochemical reactions in the soil-lime system and predict stable pozzolanic products. The experimental results show a reduction in the plasticity index from 23 to 6 after lime treatment together with a tenfold increase in strength. Lime addition lowers the risk of volumetric expansion and erosion in soils from moderately high to very low. Further, a pH increase from 6.30 to 8.90 in lime-treated sections indicates that lime treatment continues to be effective. X-ray fluorescence analysis shows the presence of Ca2+ ions in quantities similar to the initial treatment dosage indicating negligible leaching of lime. The geochemical model provides evidence of the formation of pozzolanic products in the soil-lime system which was validated using thermogravimetry analysis. The performance history of the Friant-Kern Canal together with the findings of this study affirm the long-term durability of lime treatment on this project and strengthens the case for using lime in the repair of hydraulic structures.

Influence of pore fluid-soil structure interactions on compacted lime-treated silty soil

“…Mechanical improvement involves the use of proper implementation techniques such as proper mixing of soil with chemical binder and water, compaction of soil through a suitable mechanism, and at an appropriate water content and compaction energy (le Runigo et al, 2011(le Runigo et al, , 2009Little, 1987). Chemical stabilization consists of the use of inorganic or organic binders, such as slags (Poh et al, 2006;Wild et al, 1998), fly ashes produced from coal-burning (Kolias et al, 2005;Show et al, 2003), cement kiln dust (Miller and Azad, 2000), and lime (Akula et al, 2020;Ali and Mohamed, 2019;Das et al, 2020;2021;Makki-Szymkiewicz et al, 2015).…”

Influence of wetting fluids on the compressive strength, physicochemical, and pore-structure evolution in lime-treated silty soil subjected to wetting and drying cycles

“…The mechanical stabilization involves the execution process, such as the soil-binder mixing process, 42 using an appropriate binder and water contents during compaction and mixing, implementing the accurate 43 compaction conditions [6,[14][15]. 44 So far, few field investigations have reported the sustainability of earth structures attained through 45 such improvements [5,8,[16][17][18][19]. Akula et al [16] studied the performance of the Friant-Kern Canal in 46 California, the United States, which was built with 4% quicklime treated plastic soil after 40 years from 47 treatment.…”

“…44 So far, few field investigations have reported the sustainability of earth structures attained through 45 such improvements [5,8,[16][17][18][19]. Akula et al [16] studied the performance of the Friant-Kern Canal in 46 California, the United States, which was built with 4% quicklime treated plastic soil after 40 years from 47 treatment. Based on the investigations, they have reported increased long-term strength, reduction in 4 lime-treated soil to extreme wetting and drying cycles accompanied by a wetting fluid of different chemical 76 nature might impact the soil pH and can modify the long-term performance.…”

Evaluation of the Curing Time Effect on the Swelling, Unconfined Strength and Resilient Modulus of an Expansive Soil Improved with Hydrated Lime

“…They showed that the lime-treated coir geotextile reduced the upward swell pressure by approximately 52% to 81%, resulting in a thinner subbase and base course layer in the pavement design. The long-term durability of the lime-treated material, after more than 40 years of performance, was shown in a study by Akula et al (7). In an early study by Neubauer and Thompson (8), the strength and deformation properties (California Bearing Ratio [CBR], shear strength and moduli of deformation) of uncured lime-soil mixtures compacted on the wet side of optimum were substantially better than those of untreated natural soils.…”