Effects of Curing Temperature and Stress on the Mechanical Behaviour of Cemented Hong Kong Marine Clay

Deep cement mixing (DCM) is an important method for treating soft clay. In the field, cemented soils are usually subjected to various temperatures and stresses during the curing process. The influence of curing conditions, including the curing temperature and stress, on the mechanical behaviour of cemented soil has not been well understood. In this study, the effects of cement content, curing temperature and curing stress on the strength of cemented soil were studied by unconfined compression tests. Hong Kong marine clay with an initial water content of 65% was used. Cemented specimens were prepared at different temperatures (20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C), vertical stresses (0 kPa, 300 kPa) and with various cement contents (15%, 25%, 35%). Specimens were tested after 28 days of curing under constant temperature and pressure conditions. This paper will present and analyses the influence of cement content, curing temperature and stress on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and secant Young’s modulus E₅₀.