Strength and deformation characteristics of stabilized fine-grained soil cured under overburden stress

This study investigates the effects of overburden stress on the physical and mechanical properties of stabilized fine-grained soil. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests were conducted to evaluate the influence of overburden stress on stabilized soil specimens cured for 7, 14, 28, 60, and 90 days. The soil was treated with various binder contents of 1%, 2%, 4%, and 7% by soil dry weight. Two sets of stabilized soil specimens were prepared: one cured under atmospheric pressure and the other cured under stress of 10.5 kPa. The results indicate that the specimen density increased with both binder content and curing stress. The applied stress had the effect of increasing the unconfined compressive strength and stiffness, while a reduction in failure strain was observed compared to stabilized soil specimens cured without stress. The failure behavior is more brittle in stabilized soil with 7% binder content compared to soils with lower binder contents and natural soil, which exhibit more ductile behavior.