Drained behaviour of artificially cemented dune aeolian sand

ABSTRACT Mixing cement and soil is a traditional technique used to improve their mechanical properties. Other studies proposed a rational dosage methodology for soil-cement mixtures. This method is based on the void-cement ratio and aimed at obtaining a particular strength level. The present study evaluated the validity of the void-cement ratio (η/Civ) and analysed the stress – strain – strength behaviour of aeolian dune sand from Natal, Brazil, mixed with cement. Isotropically consolidated drained triaxial compression tests (CID-C) were conducted with moulded samples containing 0.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5% cement by weight of dry soil. Void ratios corresponded to three conditions of relative density: loose, medium and dense, with confining stresses of 50, 100, 200 and 300 kPa. The effect of void ratio, cement content and void-cement ratio on the stress-strain-strength behaviour of the mixtures was determined. The results showed that the void-cement ratio is an appropriate parameter to assess the effective strength of the cement-sand mixture studied.