Soil cement is a soil stabilization technology that seeks to increase shear strength and stiffness in soil.
The concept of soil-cement is really attractive, but it has some disadvantages.
In this article, well discuss the advantages and disadvantages of soil cement.
In this article
What is soil cement?
The soil-cement must be vibrated to remove air pockets and settle prior to landscaping overtop of it.
Once the material has set, it is covered by topsoil and then landscaping.
What is soil cemet used for?
Soil cement is typically used to build a wide range of structures, including houses and sidewalks.
In comparison, a properly-poured soil cement driveway is much sturdier because the ground beneath it never heaves.
All this means that a soil cement driveway will always remain flat, even through harsh winters.
Soil cement under a driveway is also advantageous because it can be done without any specialized equipment.
When cement is added to soil, microorganisms are destroyed, and organic matter is converted into non-organic collagen.
The physical properties of soils change because of chemical and physical interactions.
The penetration, dispersion, and stickiness of the soil improve considerably.
Reduction in Permeability
The pore spaces increase when chemical binding enters into porous soils.
Water movement is reduced, and capillary suction increases.
Soil bulk density increases, decreasing porosity with time because most biological activity ceases after mixing with soil cement.
Still, these are beyond the control of classical driveway engineering principles.
Elimination of Soil Organisms
Mixingsoil cement with the soil microorganismsand their enzymes entails a certain death rate.
Live organic matter is responsible forreleasing nutrients by the mineralization of soil organic compounds.
Phosphorus becomes less soluble because binding occurs with aluminum hydroxide particles.
Calcium is immobilized by forming new compounds such as calcium silicate and calcium aluminate.
This reduces nutrient availability which promotes soil compaction over time.
As a result, their growth may be inhibited.
In addition, water drainage decreases from 510 litres/hour/m2 before cementation to 0.001 litres/hour/m2 after cementing.
This is because chemical cement has low permeability compared with aggregates making up the original soil structure.
These phenomena result in the water holding capacity concerning water and salt reduction in the soil.
The main advantage is the cost, as soil-cement typically costs half as much as concrete.
What is the cost of soil cement?
What is the lifespan of a soil cement driveway?
How strong is soil cement?
Soil-cement also reduces water infiltration compared with conventional soil, making gravel base a good option.
How thick should a cement driveway be?
Typically, a soil-cement driveway is 4 inches thick much thicker than a concrete driveway.
This article helps you to understand the disadvantages of soil cement.
