Experimental and Micromechanical Approach to Elastic Properties of Artificially Cemented Sand

Abstract

Cement treatment of granular soils is a widely used technique in the field of soil improvement, which proved effective for ground stabilization in a large variety of geotechnical works. The present study investigates some aspects of the mechanical behavior of artificially cemented sands (ACS) by means of experimental characterization and micromechanics-based modeling. Particular emphasis is given to the increase in elastic stiffness brought by cementation. Based on the concept of a fictitious continuum medium and the homogenization theory, the effective elastic properties of ACS are evaluated using the Mori-Tanaka and self-consistent schemes. The estimates derived from the direct implementation of both schemes underestimate the increase in stiffening induced by cementation. Corrective terms have been therefore introduced and successively calibrated from the experimental data obtained by means of bender element tests performed on specimens of sand reinforced by different amounts of cement. It has been notably found from the comparison with experimental results that the empirically corrected Mori-Tanaka scheme is better indicated for capturing the stiffness improvement brought by cement addition.