Determination of c-φ Properties of Lightly Stabilized Soils from Conventional Tensile and Compressive Testing

Cement stabilization of soils is a common technique to enhance engineering and mechanical properties of in situ soils in the field of road geotechnics. Usually, moderate quantities of cement are used, around 5–10% of the dry material. However, cement manufacturing is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, specifically carbon dioxide. For this reason, reducing cement content by a few percent in geotechnical structures made with cement-stabilized soils (CSS) has a high environmental interest, particularly in view of the involved volumes of material. This work aims to contribute to a better understanding of the mechanical characteristics of lightly stabilized soils. First, the mechanical behavior of a clayey and a sandy soil treated with 3% cement was studied for several curing times. Next, measured mechanical features were correlated. Finally, these measurements were used to characterize the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion and compared with a conventional approach. Results point out that mechanical enhancement can be quantified in terms of cohesion. Friction angle seems to be independent of curing time. The proposed approach can be adapted in geotechnical applications based on the Mohr–Coulomb yielding criterion such as stability slopes, foundations, and retaining structures.