Prova di campo per i lavori di trattamento delle terre argillose con calce per lavori stradali e ferroviari [Field test of lime treatment of clayey soils for railways and road works]

The paper presents the results of a field test carried out on an experimental embankment especially designed and built for the purposes of the lime treatment of clayey soils. This field test was carried out with the aim of studying the use of clays, resulting from excavations, as construction material for embankments for works of modernization of a large communication infrastructure in Sicily. Hence the experimental programme carried out focused on the geotechnical characterization of excavated clay in order to define the manner of implementation of clay treatment with lime. By means of full-scale tests, a monitoring procedure was developed in order to define proper execution of lime treatment of clay soils, requirements and performance thresholds being set for acceptance of working in quality systemand strict observance of the principles of environmental protection, as well as to intervene in time to take correctiveaction in case of drifts of execution.