Porosity-Cement Ratio Controlling Strength of Artificially Cemented Clays

Abstract

There exists an effort to develop dosage methodologies for cement improved soils based on a rational criterion, as in concrete technology, in which the water to cement ratio plays an essential role in strength determination. This study aims to assess the strength controlling parameters of two clays with distinct coarse grained materials (silty clay and sandy clay) treated with cement and to show that the porosity/cement ratio plays a fundamental role in target strength assessment of clayey materials. The controlling parameters evaluated were the cement content, porosity, and porosity/cement ratio. A number of unconfined compression tests and suction measurements were performed for the present work. The results show that a linear function better fits the unconfined compressive strength-cement relationship. The strength increased exponentially with the reduction in porosity for the studied soil-cement mixtures. Finally, the porosity/cement ratio is shown to be a key parameter in an evaluation of the unconfined compressive strength of the clayey soils studied.