The Effects of Geocell Height and Lime Stabilization on Unpaved Road Settlements at Different Water Contents

Abstract

In this study, lime stabilization and geocell reinforcement methods were investigated for a clayey subgrade of unpaved road at different water contents. This study is especially important in terms of determining the soil improvement method for road construction on wet lands. The effects of the geocell height (50, 100, 150, and 200 mm) and lime content (3, 6, and 12%) on the settlement of the subgrade soil at different water contents (25, 28, 30, 32, and 35%) were analyzed. Accordingly, a large scale plate loading test was designed, and it is utilized to achieve loading-settlement curves. The bearing capacity and modulus of subgrade (k) of soil were determined. It was detected that the geocell height and lime content have different effects at different water contents, and the modulus of subgrade reaction became stable beyond a constant height of the geocell. It was understood that none of these two improvements did not meet the Highways Technical Specifications. It is detected that at least these two improvement techniques are needed to be applied together to meet the specifications for the soil examined in this study.