Comparison on properties of cement-stabilised gravel prepared by different laboratory compaction methods

This paper presents a comparison of the properties of cement-stabilised gravel (CSG) prepared in laboratory by the static pressuring compaction method (SPCM) and the vibration compaction method (VCM). The compaction characteristics, gradation variation, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), splitting strength (SPS), and resilient modulus (RM) of the laboratory-prepared CSG by SPCM and VCM are measured and compared. The effects of compaction method, gradation structure, cement content, and curing time on the compaction characteristic, gradation variation, and mechanical properties of CSG are investigated. Field measurements are subsequently conducted to validate the laboratory investigations. The results show that the CSG prepared by VCM has optimum water content and smaller gradation variation and larger density than those of CSG prepared by SPCM. The UCS, SPS, and RM of CSG prepared by VCM are 1.87–2.37, 1.54–2.74, and 1.53–1.96 times those of the CSG prepared by SPCM, respectively. Moreover, the results show that the mechanical properties of CSG prepared by VCM have a correlation of 91.7% with the field drilled CSG, which is better than the SPCM.