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Title:

Effect of Reduced Cement Contents on Frost Heave of Silty Soil: Laboratory Testing and Numerical Modeling

Abstract:

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effects of reduced cement contents on the frost heave behavior of a silty subgrade soil treated with cement contents of 2.0, 3.5, and 5.0 percent. The laboratory testing procedures included soil characterization, compaction and strength testing, frost heave testing, suction testing, and permeability testing. Treatment of the soil with cement proved to be effective in controlling frost heave when a sufficient amount of cement was added; however, when an insufficient amount of cement was applied, the frost heave exhibited was actually greater than that occurring in untreated samples. This unexpected behavior was clearly associated with the ingress of a substantial amount of water shown in further testing to be attributable to changes in suction and permeability properties. The measured soil properties were then successfully used in a computer simulation to match the observed frost heave behavior. Although cement treatment was effective in totally eliminating frost heave in specimens treated with higher cement contents, the laboratory results indicate that water ingress still occurs during freezing. A primary implication of the results obtained in this study is that the amount of cement added to a given soil should not be selected arbitrarily. While too much cement may cause shrinkage cracking, too little cement may actually cause worse frost heave behavior than that observed in untreated specimens. The formation of more ice lenses in the soil would then lead to greater thaw weakening of the affected pavement layer during spring.

Source(s):

86th Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting, Brigham Young University and Stelling Engineers, Inc. For an electronic copy of this resource, please direct your request to WeatherFeedback@dot.gov.

Date: 2007

Author:

Guthrie, Lay, Birdsall

Keywords:


Subsurface conditions
Climate/Season

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