Resilient moduli characterization of cement-treated silt

Abstract

The performance of a flexible pavement depends on the resilient modulus (MR) of subgrade soil. Thus, MR is a key design parameter for mechanistic-empirical pavement design of flexible pavements. Generally, the resilient modulus is determined by conducting repeated load triaxial (RLT) tests in the laboratory and has been used to characterize the subgrade soil behavior under repeated traffic loading conditions. The use of cement to stabilize natural subgrade soils is widely accepted by transportation agencies. Several research studies were conducted on the resilient behavior of cementtreated soils. However, limited research studies have been conducted on the resilient behavior of cement-treated silty soil. Therefore, the current research study assessed the resilient moduli properties of cement-treated silt. Cement-stabilized soil specimens were statically compacted and cured in a humid room for a stipulated curing period before conducting RLT tests. RLT tests were conducted on cement-treated specimens at different cement dosages and curing periods to study the effect of the cement dosage and curing time on the resilient modulus. Test results indicated that a significant improvement in performance was observed after cement treatment. The untreated soil specimens exhibited stresssoftening behavior with an increase in deviator stress, whereas the cement-treated specimens exhibited stress-hardening behavior. The resilient modulus was increased with an increase in cement dosage. Regression analyses were conducted on RLT test results using three-parameter universal model and model parameters were determined. It was observed that the three-parameter universal model exhibited an excellent fit with experimental data.