In this paper, a method to control the lime reaction by different slaking conditions is proposed to reduce the occurrence of cracks in newly repaired earthen city walls. The effects and mechanisms of the slaking time (0 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h), lime content (10%, 15% and 20%), and moisture content (14%, 18% and 22%) on the cracking and mechanical properties of lime soil were analyzed by the test results of surface cracks, triaxial compression, particle gradation, pH value, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The results show that proper slaking of lime soil specimens can reduce surface cracks and improve mechanical properties. After 12 h of appropriate slaking, the crack rate of the lime soil with 20% content decreased by 97.13%, the cohesion increased by 20.27%, and the internal friction angle decreased by 11.27%. However, the mechanical properties decreased when the slaking time was too long. After 72 h of slaking, the cohesion of 20% lime soil decreased by 8.21% and the internal friction angle increased by 2.82%. Further analysis shows that the appropriate slaking conditions can regulate the reaction rate and alkali environment, control the lime produced cementitious substances, improve the particle gradation and further reduce the occurrence of surface cracks. These results provide a basis for the restoration technology of newly repaired earthen city walls.
Keywords: crack control; lime soil; particle gradation; slaking condition; slaking reaction.