Evaluation on Strength Properties of Lime–Slag Stabilized Loess as Pavement Base Material

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using lime–slag stabilized loess as base-course material by assessing its unconfined compressive strength (UCS). Loess stabilized with various mix ratios were compacted and cured to three, five, seven, and 28 days, respectively, for further strength tests. The effects of binder content, lime-to-slag (L/S) ratio, porosity, and curing time on the UCS of stabilized loess were addressed in detail. The test results show that UCS increases with the increase in binder content or curing time, and it gains strength rapidly within the first seven days of curing. At the same binder content, UCS decreases with the decrease in L/S ratio or porosity. Finally, the correlations of UCS with binder content, porosity, and curing time were derived, which exhibited reasonable correlation coefficients R2 (from 0.86 to 0.97).