Soil Mixtures with Additions for Expansive Soil Stabilization: A Systematic Literature Review

Resumo

The volumetric instability of expansive soils poses a significant challenge to civil engineering, particularly affecting pavement works, foundations, and supporting structures. This behavior, associated with the presence of clay minerals such as montmorillonite, results in considerable variations when changes in moisture content occur, triggering expansion and shrinkage processes that compromise the performance and durability of structures. Traditionally, the stabilization of these soils is carried out using cement or lime, however, such methods may increase the stiffness and brittleness of the material, impairing its performance under dynamic loads. In this context, the use of natural or synthetic fibers emerges as a promising alternative, acting as reinforcement to improve strength and crack control. The analysis of rheological properties is crucial for evaluating the feasibility of applying these mixtures in the field. This study presents a systematic literature review, with data extracted from the Scopus database and analyzed in RStudio using the Bibliometrix package, aiming to map the state of the art regarding stabilizing mixtures for expansive soils. The search was guided by keywords such as “soil-cement,” “expansive soil,” and “lime,” followed by the application of filters for subject area, document type, and source type. A total of 105 articles published between 1999 and 2025 were selected. The bibliometric analysis revealed a significant increase in scientific production since 2018, led by countries such as China, India, and Australia, in addition to the concentration of publications in high-impact journals. The results indicate that the integration of fibers, combined with rheological control, has significant potential to mitigate shrinkage and improve the mechanical performance of expansive soils, providing technical support for the development of more durable and environmentally appropriate solutions in geotechnical engineering.