A review of hydro-mechanical coupling behaviour of cement-treated materials. (7th March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jing, Peng; Song, Xintong; Zhang, Jinxi; Nowamooz, Hossein
• Is Part Of: Construction & building materials. Volume 322(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-03-07
• Subjects: Cement-treated material -- Hydro-mechanical coupling behaviour -- Degree of unsaturation -- Micro-pore structure -- UCS; Building materials -- Periodicals; 624.18
• DOI: 10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2022.126446
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-0618

Abstract

Highlights: Hydro-mechanical coupling behaviour of cement-treated materials are reviewed. A unified framework for the cement-treated materials to describe both hydraulic behaviour and mechanical behaviour is proposed. An empirical-analytical model taking into account the effect of hydro-mechanical coupling to predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) value with curing time for cement-treated materials is proposed. Abstract: Cement-treated materials are largely used in civil engineering. However, a common theoretical framework is highly demanded to take into account the hydro-mechanical coupling effect on strength and deformation behaviour of cement-treated materials. The transformation of this kind of material from soil-like granular material to cemented material makes the task more complicated. This study investigates first the different characteristics of cement-treated materials reported in literatures such as their degree of unsaturation, micro-pore structure, and mechanical strength and deformation. The different existing models in literatures to treat each issue are also provided. Based on the literature study, a unified framework is proposed for the cement-treated materials to describe both hydraulic behaviour and mechanical behaviour. Finally, in terms of the formulas in literatures, an empirical-analytical model taking into account the effect of hydro-mechanical coupling to predict the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) value with curing time for cement-treated materials is proposed. The modelling results show a good capacity of this proposed model to evaluate the UCS value in both early ages of curing and following curing process. These findings will be useful to serve as a theoretical reference for designing safe, economical, and durable cement-treated structures.