Factors Affecting the Mechanical Properties of Cement-Mixed Gravel

Chen Wang,Wentao Li

doi:10.1155/2016/8760325

Abstract

A study has been conducted to investigate the mechanical properties of cement-mixed gravel using the unconfined compression test and the tensile test. Basic factors including the curing period, the water-binder ratio, the cement content, and the strain rate were evaluated. Ordinary Portland cement with fly ash was employed as the cementation agent for preparing cemented samples. The results indicate that the unconfined compressive strength, the deformation modulus, and the tensile strength increase with the increase in the curing period. The ratio of tensile strength to unconfined compressive strength has no distinct change after 7 days. An optimum water-binder ratio can be obtained. The unconfined compressive strength and deformation modulus decrease as the water-binder ratio decreases and increase from the optimum water-binder ratio. With the increasing of the cement content, the unconfined compressive strength increases distinctly, the deformation modulus increases significantly when the cement content is less than 4% and then increased slowly, and the failure strain increases to a peak value and then decreases. With the increasing of the strain rate, the unconfined compressive strength increases slightly and the deformation modulus increases slowly. The failure strain decreases with an increase in the strain rate.

Highlights

Cement-mixed gravel or cement-stabilized aggregate is a new building material that takes advantage of natural sand gravel, discarded soils, or problematic soils and is compacted by adding a certain content of cement and water
The results indicate that the tensile strength σt and unconfined compressive strength σc increase with an increase in the cement content
A series of unconfined compression tests and tensile tests were performed to investigate the mechanical behaviour of cemented mixed-gravel

Summary

Introduction

Cement-mixed gravel or cement-stabilized aggregate is a new building material that takes advantage of natural sand gravel, discarded soils, or problematic soils and is compacted by adding a certain content of cement and water. Its strength and stiffness is significantly affected by compaction conditions and the type of stabilizers, such as cement, gypsum, and lime, varies for different soils [1, 2]. The strengths of these cement-stabilized materials significantly increase by increasing the amount of cementing agent. Cement mixed with gravel is energy-efficient and eco-friendly. This type of material has been applied to abutments, cofferdams, dams, slopes, and mining [4,5,6,7]. The mechanical behaviour of these materials is a continuing issue in the field

Methods

Results

Conclusion