Enhancement of unconfined compressive strength of sand test pieces cemented with calcium phosphate compound by addition of various powders

Abstract

To improve the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of a novel chemical grout composed of a calcium phosphate compound (CPC-Chem), we performed UCS tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations on sand test pieces cemented with CPC-Chem and four kinds of powders (tricalcium phosphate, TCP; magnesium phosphate, MgP; calcium carbonate, CC and magnesium carbonate, MgC) as seed crystals. The UCS of the CPC-Chem test pieces cemented with TCP and CC was significantly greater than that of the test pieces with no added powders. The UCS of the test pieces with TCP and CC additives exceeded the targeted value of 100kPa and increased to a maximum of 261.4kPa and 209.7kPa for the test pieces with TCP and CC additives, respectively. Furthermore, the UCS of test pieces with 1wt% or 5wt% TCP and 1wt% CC additives was maintained at a level exceeding 200kPa for 168 days. SEM observations revealed net-like and three-dimensional structures in segments of test pieces cemented with 1wt% or 5wt% TCP and 1wt% CC in CPC-Chem, which could have been the reason of the long-term stability of UCS (over 200kPa for 168 days) observed in this study. These results suggest that the addition of TCP and CC significantly enhances the ground improvement afforded by CPC-Chem.