Indirect verification of suction in cyclic UCS tests of a chemically stabilized soil

Abstract

The present study aims to indirectly evaluate the occurrence of suction and its effects in laboratory tests of a chemically stabilized soft soil. To achieve these goals, a series of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and triaxial tests were performed, with and without the application of cyclic loading and with and without membrane during the cyclic loading stage, to evaluate the occurrence of suction and its effect on the mechanical behavior of a chemically stabilized soft soil. The results show that during the cyclic loading stage there is an occurrence of suction which influences both the permanent axial strain during the cyclic loading and the maximum strength of the stabilized soil. During the cyclic loading stage, the occurrence of suction promoted the increase of the plastic deformation. In terms of strength, it is observed an occurrence of suction in the stabilized soil which may be related with the increase of the strength. It is observed that suction can be avoided by saturation of the sample, verified in triaxial tests, or by using a membrane during the cyclic UCS test.

Keywords

• stabilized soil
• axial permanent strain
• suction
• ucs test
• triaxial test