The main objectives of this research are to investigate the effect of hydrated lime (HL) treatment on the swelling behavior of a natural expansive soil, Eagle Ford clay from Texas (USA), and to measure the efficiency of lime treatment on swelling reduction due to variations in the condition of specimen preparation. This study involved conventional free swell tests and centrifuge tests, which are a new technique developed by the University of Texas at Austin (USA). So far, no studies have been performed using this centrifuge to analyze the swelling reduction in expansive soils by stabilization treatments. Also, no studies have measured the improving of lime treatment efficiency due to variables controlled during preparation of lime-soil mixtures (i.e. compaction moisture content, compaction dry density, mellowing and curing time), as well as the applied effective stress. This work also involved investigations about modifications of geotechnical properties, mineralogical composition and microstructural constitution due to the addition of lime. From the analysis of the swelling vs. time curves, three values were defined to examine the swelling behavior: the swelling potential (Sp), the primary swelling slope (PSS) and the secondary swelling slope (SSS). Assessment of the lime treatment efficiency, as quantified by the Swelling Potential Reduction Ratio (SPR) indicates: (i) the elimination of 97 per cent of Sp with 4 per cent HL; (ii) SPR enhancement with increasing curing time; (iii) adverse effect of mellowing periods on the SPR; (iv) the possibility to decrease the necessary lime dosage by increasing the compaction moisture and/or reducing the compaction dry density; and (v) dependency of the hydrated lime dosage to prevent swelling on the applied g-level (i.e. applied stress).