Enhancing performance of soil using lime and precluding landslide in Benin (West Africa)

The past decade has been characterized by the development of infrastructure in the main cities in West Africa. This requires more comprehensive studies of geotechnical properties of the soil in the region with an aim of creating sustainable development. This paper examined the performance of the soil in Benin (West Africa). In this research, three objectives have been adopted in-depth on the performance characteristics of West Africans soil and aim to (i) accessing characteristics of soil types in the region; (ii) assessing the performance of these soils with 2%, 3% and 5% of lime and (iii) characterizing landslide to evaluate the damage and potential instability. The methods used to examine these objectives are experimental tests according to standard French test. The particle size test, Proctor test, and Atterberg limits test which are physical tests and the mechanical tests such as dynamic penetration test, direct shear test, and oedometer test, were used to assess the first objective. The Proctor test and California bearing ratio test were examined for the second objective and geological, environmental, social and safety study of the river bank slide were evaluated for the third objective. This paper firstly reveals the unstable and stable areas in southern Benin (West Africa) with the presence of clays soil and gives an equation for predicting the unstable and stable area, and secondly shows that the proportion of percentage lime leading to the best performances varying between 2% and 3%. Finally, this paper shows that the sliding of a bank could be the consequence of the sudden receding water recorded in a valley.