Interphase Effect on the Macro Nonlinear Mechanical Behavior of Cement-Based Solidified Sand Mixture

Abstract

This paper investigates the interphase effect on the macro nonlinear mechanical behavior of cement-based solidified sand mixture (CBSSM) using a finite element numerical simulation method. CBSSM is a multiphase composite whose main components are soil, cement, sand and water, often found in soft soil foundation reinforcement. The emergence of this composite material can reduce the cost of soft soil foundation reinforcement and weaken silt pollution. Simplifying the CBSSM into a three-phase structure can efficiently excavate the interphase effects, that is, the sand phase with higher strength, the cement-based solidified soil phase (CBSS) with moderate strength, and the interphase with weaker strength. The interphase between aggregate and CBSS in the mixture exhibits the weak properties due to high porosity but gets little attention. In order to clarify the mechanical relationship between interphase and CBSSM, a bilinear Cohesive Model (CM) was selected for the interphase, which can phenomenologically model damage behaviors such as damage nucleation, initiation and propagation. Firstly, carry out the unconfined compression experiments on the CBSSM with different artificial gradations and then gain the nonlinear stress–strain curves. Secondly, take the Monte Carlo method to establish the numerical models of CBSSM with different gradations, which can generate geometric models containing randomly distributed and non-overlapping sand aggregates in Python by code. Then, import the CBSSM geometric models into the finite element platform Abaqus and implement the same boundary conditions as the test. Fit experimental nonlinear stress–strain curves and verify the reliability of numerical models. Finally, analyze the interphase damage effect on the macroscopic mechanical properties of CBSSM by the most reliable numerical model. The results show that there is an obviously interphase effect on CBSSM mechanical behavior, and the interphase with greater strength and stiffness ensures the macro load capacity and service life of the CBSSM; a growth in the interphase number can also adversely affect the durability of CBSSM, which provides a favorable reference for the engineering practice.