Laboratory Investigation on the Strength Characteristics of Cement-Treated Base

Abstract

Cement-Treated Base (CTB) is a non-conventional method used in road bases materials to improve its engineering properties due to the hardening of cement when moisture is present and extends the period of curing times. This study investigates the effects of cement additive on properties of base layer using laboratory mechanistic evaluation of stabilized soil mixtures. Laboratory tests conducted were Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS), Indirect Tension test for Resilient Modulus (ITRM) and Flexure Strength (FS) tests. The results revealed that by adding Portland cement, the mechanical properties of the mixture have improved where the UCS is found to be an important quality indicator. In addition, the variables that influenced these tests, which are cement content, curing time, moisture content, and dry density, play important role to determine the performance of CTB. This paper presents the finding of a correlation conducted to analyse the influences of these variables using regression and ANOVA to establish significant models with the aim of predicting the strength base on mixture parameters. Keywords: Cement-Treated Base, Unconfined Compressive Strength, Indirect Tension test for Resilient Modulus, Flexure Strength, Moisture Content, Dry Density, Regression Analysis.