Alteration of the Hydromechanical Performances of a Stabilized Compacted Soil Exposed to Successive Wetting–Drying Cycles
Olivier Cuisinier, Farimah Masrouri, Abdelwadoud Mehenni
Abstract
This study intends to examine the impact of successive wetting and drying cycles on the strength and hydraulic conductivity of lime- and cement-treated soil, with a special emphasis on the protocol that is employed to impose the cycles. Compacted specimens were cured for 90 days before being exposed to different numbers of wetting and drying cycles. These cycles were imposed on treated samples with two protocols, the first one based on oven drying and full saturation, and the second based on control of the relative humidity of the samples at room temperature to thus obtain more realistic conditions for the wetting and drying cycles. The unconfined compressive strength and saturated hydraulic conductivity were monitored as a function of the number of cycles. The results highlight the role of the imposed wetting and drying cycle technique for a better assessment of the long-term performances of treated soils. Special attention was also taken to evaluate the relationship between the alteration of hydraulic conductivity and mechanical strength as a function of the number of applied wetting and drying cycles. The results showed that the degradation of the strength of the treated samples is associated with a significant increase of their hydraulic conductivity as a function of the number of cycles.