How To Deal With Mud Problem When Compacting Soil

Wet construction site can be a major problem for every residential or commercial building construction project. Wet soil and mud on the construction site can cause significant headache to the construction engineers and building contractors. Snow and rain can cause the ground to become wet and muddy. Furthermore wet soil can be a challenge for efficient compaction and for building stable foundations. No matter what type of dirt compactors are used, the end result will not be satisfactory. Clearly for one construction project to be considered as a success, dry soil and solid foundation is mandatory. But the natural process of drying the wet and muddy soil generally takes time and it is regularly interrupted by the unpredictable rain showers. Because of this the work on the construction site is delayed continually. The investor and the contractors lose not only time but also money.

Lime is considered by many construction workers and engineers as the ideal solution for drying and preparing the soil for construction. Lime effectively and quickly dries mud and wet soil, and also prepares the ground by providing solid base for the construction traffic. Lime minimizes the plasticity of wet and muddy soils, it makes the soil to be more friable, and also on the other hand increases the compaction characteristics of the soil. In short, the lime makes the soil to be ideal for the construction process.

There are three basic steps that need to be followed when lime is applied to the soil : spreading the lime, mixing soil and lime, and in the end the compaction process. Big pneumatic construction vehicles and tankers are used for transporting the lime to the construction site. Then special spreader vehicles are used to spread the lime. These vehicles are equipped with specially designed mechanisms which control the quantity of lime that is spread into the soil. For small construction projects usually a small crawler dozer is used to spread the lime over the soil. How much lime is needed is determined by conducting tests on the soil. A rotary mixer is used for mixing the soil and the lime to get a certain layer or depth. Deeper layers or depths are required in situations when spongy or wet areas appear on the soil. Sometimes certain amount of water is added if the level of hydration needs to be increased. When the lime is appropriately mixed with the soil, it absorbs the extra moisture and breaks down larger pieces of clay. This absorbing and breaking period usually last around 24 hours, depending on the type of lime that is used. The compaction of the soil is usually done by using dirt compactor or sheepsfoot roller compactor. The dirt compactor is a special machine which is used for achieving proper compaction on the soil. A single or double drum compaction roller is also used for soil compaction. Proper compaction is essential for higher moisture resistance and for higher strength.

Lime has three impacts on the soil : drying the wet and muddy soil, soil modifications and higher soil stability. Although all three are beneficial, clearly drying the soil and the soil modifications are the most important for the construction engineers and contractors. When the soil is too wet and muddy for effective compaction, mixing soil and lime can result in :

• Water being absorbed from the soil. The lime has ability to absorb as much as 40% water from the soil
• Higher hydration
• Changes in the soil characteristics in terms of providing optimum level of moisture for proper compaction
• Lowering the plastic index of the soil. The low plastic index contributes positively to the compaction process