Behaviour of cement-stabilised silty sands subjected to harsh environmental conditions Available to Purchase

This work evaluated the effect of three distinct amounts of fines, Portland cement and dry unit weights on the accumulated loss of mass (ALM), maximum shear modulus at small strains (G₀) and tensile strength (q_t) of stabilised sands subjected to wetting–drying cycles. Tensile strength test results showed that addition of fines to sand stabilised with cement increased its tensile strength, irrespective of the dry unit weight (γ_d) and cement content in the mixture. Increasing the amount of fines in compacted cement-stabilised silty sand specimens subjected to wetting–drying cycles reduced the ALM and increased the G₀ and q_t of the mixtures. This may be due to the fact that specimens with larger amounts of fines have more contact points among the particles, which provides better opportunities for the cement to develop more efficient bonds within the soil fabric, thus improving its mechanical performance. An increase in the cement content and γ_d of the compacted cement-stabilised silty sand specimens reduced their ALM and increased G₀ after each one of the 12 wetting–drying cycles. The G₀ and q_t of cement-stabilised silty sand specimens with fines increased up to the sixth cycle, remaining practically constant after that, when these specimens were subjected to wetting–drying cycles.