Mechanical properties are important indexes to evaluate the improvement effect and engineering performance of cement-stabilized loess (CSL). This paper presents a comparison of the mechanical properties of CSL compacted using hammer quasi-static compaction method (QSCM) and vertical vibration compaction method (VVCM). The compaction properties, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), splitting strength (SPS), and resilient modulus (RM) of the laboratory-compacted CSL using VVCM and QSCM are tested and compared. Furthermore, the effects of compaction method, cement content, compaction coefficient, and curing time of the CSL specimens are investigated. In addition, field measurements are carried out to validate the laboratory investigations. The results show that the laboratory-compacted CSL using VVCM has a larger dry density and smaller optimum water content than that using QSCM. And the compaction method has a great influence on the mechanical strength of CSL. The UCS, SPS, and RM of the specimen produced using VVCM are averagely 1.17 times, 1.49 times, and 1.17 times that of CSL produced using QSCM, respectively, and the UCS, SPS, and RM of the specimens produced using these two methods increase linearly as the cement content and compaction coefficient increase, while the mechanical strength growth curve experiences three periods of increasing sharply, increasing slowly, and stabilizing with the curing time increased. Moreover, the results also show that the mechanical properties of laboratory-compacted CSL using VVCM have a better correlation of 83.8% with the field core samples.
Cement-modified loess has been used in the recent construction of an intercity high-speed railway in Xi’an, China. This paper studies the mechanical strength of cement-modified loess (CML) compacted by the vertical vibration compaction method (VVCM). First, the reliability of VVCM in compacting CML is evaluated, and then the effects of cement content, compaction coefficient, and curing time on the mechanical strength of CML are analyzed, establishing a strength prediction model. The results show that the correlation of mechanical strength between the CML specimens prepared by VVCM in the laboratory and the core specimens collected on site is as high as 83.8%. The mechanical strength of CML initially show linear growth with increasing cement content and compaction coefficient. The initial growth in CML mechanical strength is followed by a later period, with mechanical strength growth slowing after 28 days. The mechanical strength growth properties of the CML can be accurately predicted via established strength growth equations. The results of this study can guide the design and construction of CML subgrade.
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