Effect of Curing on Mechanical Properties of Cement-Stabilized Coral Sand in Marine Environment

Abstract

The use of coral sand prepared from cement-stabilized materials can significantly reduce the cost, construction period, and damage to the environment caused by stone mining. The choice of water in mixing and curing the cement-stabilized materials on islands should be considered. Cement-stabilized coral sand was tested in three different preparation and maintenance systems in the marine environment. The compressive strength, weight change, and chloride ion concentration change in cement-stabilized coral sand with different cement content were measured after 7 d, 28 d, 60 d, and 90 d, respectively. The microstructure of specimens was observed by XRD and SEM. Results show that the compressive strength of specimens in the seawater mixing and seawater curing system developed 0.9 MPa faster than that in the fresh water mixing and curing system at an early stage. But the compressive strength of specimens in seawater mixing and seawater curing shrank later, being 0.5 MPa lower than that in fresh water mixing and curing. The cement content was positively correlated with the free chloride ion reaction and mass growth rate. For road construction on islands, the mixing and curing of cement-stabilized coral sand with seawater should be given priority in the early stage.