Evaluation of flexural-tensile strength of high-performance soil-cement (HPSC) specimen bodies

Abstract

Current studies indicate that it is possible to obtain soil-cement products with similar performances to high performance concrete (HPC). In this context, this work aimed to evaluate the flexural rupture parameters of high-performance soil-cement specimens (HPSC) in relation to the cement percentage. Eighteen HPSC specimens were analyzed, produced with compaction moisture of 13% and pressure of 1.2 MPa. The average flexural-tensile strength of the specimens was 4.6 MPa with 30% cement, 5.6 MPa with 40% cement and 5.8 MPa with 50% cement. The results indicate the possibility of using a new product (HPSC) with flexural-tensile strength equivalent to HPC, but without the need to use mining materials, such as sand, gravel and other additives like superplasticizers. This opens up the opportunity to produce new soil-cement artifacts, such as plates and/or floors, for which values of flexural-tensile strength higher than those currently obtained in concrete and/or soil-cement products are required.