EFFECTS OF CEMENTATION ON HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY AND ON MECHANICAL STRENGTH OF BINARY PACKING SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the topic soil stabilization for forest roads applications and analyzes the influence of the hydrated lime in structuring the sand fraction of an artificial soil composed of the sand fractions of two natural soils, simulating natural process of cementation of sands and using binary packing systems. The study included the following topics: (i) characterization of the mechanical strength and hydraulic conductivity of binary systems of the artificial soil; and (ii) effect of hydrated lime in structuring binary packing systems of the artificial soil. Soil samples were submitted to chemical pre-treatment, to obtain clean sand fractions from the two sandy soils with particle diameters ranging from 0.053 to 2 mm, following sieving and separation of them in twenty-two classes with maximum (D)/minimum (d) ratios varying from 5.7 to 13.4. Sequentially, binary packing specimens of the artificial soil were prepared and then stabilized with 2% of a commercial hydrated lime. Next, the specimens were submitted to permeability and quasi-static cone penetration tests, in order to determine their hydraulic conductivity and cone tip resistance. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that: (i) in the artificial soil, an increase of D/d ratio led to an increase of cone tip resistance and decrease of hydraulic conductivity; and (ii) cementation with hydrated lime reduced the hydraulic conductivity and increased the cone tip resistance.