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Stabilization of lateritic soils with phosphoric acid

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Summary

This paper describes a laboratory study on the stabilization of lateritic soils with phosphoric acid-H3PO4. This method is most promising for road and airport pavement construction in tropical regions where fine textured lateritic soils (red clays and silts) occur over large areas. The iron and aluminum phosphates formed are hard and insoluble. The main source of iron is free iron oxide, and the aluminum sources are free aluminum oxide, exchangeable cations and clay minerals (hydrated aluminum silicates). Four different soil samples were studied, but the most comprehensive study was carried out with a lateritic soil evolved from weathered basaltic bedrock. The variables of the test specimens were: percentage of acid, moulding water content, compaction energy, and curing time. Strength tests performed were the axial or unconfined compression test and the indirect tensile or diametrical compression test. With 5% of phosphoric acid to dry weight of soil, values of compressive strength around 4.0 MPa were obtained after 28 days curing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil Engineering, COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, CP 68506, CEP 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    J. Medina

  2. Division of Engineering of the Brazilian Air Force, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    H. N. Guida

Authors
  1. J. Medina
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  2. H. N. Guida
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Medina, J., Guida, H.N. Stabilization of lateritic soils with phosphoric acid. Geotech Geol Eng 13, 199–216 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422210

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00422210

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