Impact of weathering on a cement-treated sand

Abstract

This study’s main goal was to examine how the wetting/drying solicitations affect the mechanical behavior of a cementtreated sand. A quantitative method based on the stress-dilatancy approach was used to assess the effects of two types of wetting and drying cycles of different intensities. The results showed that bonding is primarily altered by the wetting/drying cycles, leading to lower mechanical performances. It has been demonstrated that the weathering effect not only depends on the cement dosage, but also on the cycles’ intensity. The early cycles appeared to have the greatest impact on changes in mechanical performance on the samples treated with 4% cement. However, the accumulation of numerous cycles caused a more progressive degradation on the samples treated with 1% cement. The quantitative assessment of the treatment effect and the weathering progress with cycles was made possible through the evaluation of the bonding ratio. The importance of the imposed wetting/drying cycle protocol for a proper evaluation of the long-term performance of treated soils is highlighted. Further research is needed to define an appropriate weathering protocol that makes sense in light of the real solicitation faced by engineered structures.