Strength and freeze-thaw cycle resistance of cement stabilized coastal clay mixed with shell powder

Abstract

Abstract To study the effect of marine shell powder (SP) on the mechanical properties of cement solidified coastal clay (CSC), unconfined compressive strength test, freeze-thaw cycle test and Scanning Electron Microscope test were conducted on the stabilized soil. The results show that SP could improve the mechanical properties of CSC to some extent. When the SP content was 15%, the strength of CSC was the highest. Moreover, under the condition of freeze-thaw cycle, SP can enhance the compactness of coastal cement-clay, which shows that the pore area decreases by 7.2% during 7 freeze-thaw cycles. Finally, a mathematical empirical model of the unconfined compressive strength, SP content and freeze-thaw cycles of coastal cement-clay modified by seashell powder (SPCSC) specimens was established. The model has a good relevance with the investigated data, which can give a theoretical foundation for improving the performance of coastal cement-clay using seashell powder under different environments.