Effect of fines on the drying crack resistance of composite soil stabiliser-stabilised gravel soil

Abstract

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of fines on the drying crack resistance of composite soil stabiliser-stabilised gravel soil (CSSSGS) using the following laboratory tests: indirect tensile strength (ITS), indirect tensile resilient modulus (ITRM), and drying shrinkage (DS). The indirect tensile failure strain (ITFS), which was calculated according to the ITS and ITRM, was used to replace the direct tensile failure strain (DTFS). The DS energy anti-cracking coefficient (DSEAC) and the ratio of ITFS to DS strain (RID) were used to estimate the crack resistance of CSSSGS with varying fines contents. This study showed that the values of these two indices decreased with the increase in fines content and water loss time, indicating that fines content and water loss adversely affect the crack resistance of CSSSGS.