SOIL CEMENT

A seminar report submitted to the

APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University

In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
CIVIL ENGINEERING

Submitted by

MUHAMMED FAYIZ K
(MEA17CE053)

Department of Civil Engineering

MEA ENGINEERING COLLEGE VENGOOR,
PERINTHALMANNA-679325, KERALA
2020 – 2021
 MEA Engineering College
Vengoor, Perinthalmanna, Kerala

Department of Civil Engineering

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar report on “SOIL CEMENT” is a bonafide record of the
work done by MUHAMMED FAYIZ K (MEA17CE053) in partial fulfilment for the award
of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering to the APJ Abdul Kalam
Technological University.

Guide: Seminar Coordinator: Head of the department:

JAZEEL SHAH P JEEJA MENON Dr. HEMA NALINI A. V
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor Professor
Dept. of Civil Engineering Dept. of Civil Engineering Dept. of Civil Engineering
MEA Engineering College MEA Engineering College MEA Engineering College
Perinthalmanna Perinthalmanna Perinthalmanna
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I express my deep and sincere gratitude to my guide, Mr Jazeel Shah P,

Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, for the kind co-operation and
guidance for the completion of my seminar.

I express my sincere gratitude to Dr. G. Ramesh, our respected principal for

giving us an opportunity and for the facilities provided for the completion of my seminar.

I express my deepest sense of gratitude to our Head of Department of Civil

Engineering Dr. Hema Nalini A. V., Professor, MEA Engineering College,
Perinthalmanna for her valuable support and guidance.

I also extend my gratitude to Staff in Charge Mrs. Jeeja Menon, Assistant

Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Ms. Rajisha C, Assistant Professor,
Department of Civil Engineering, for their kind co-operation for preparing and presenting
this seminar.

I also express my sincere thanks to all staff members of Civil Engineering

Department for their kind co-operation they have rendered.

I thankfully acknowledge my parents, my friends and all others for their support
and encouragement.

Above all I would like to thank The Almighty for showering his grace up on me

MUHAMMED FAYIZ K

i
 ABSTRACT
Soil-cement is a highly compacted mixture of soil/aggregate, portland cement, and
water. Soil-cement differs from Portland cement concrete pavements in several
respects. One significant difference is the manner in which the aggregates or soil
particles are held together. In soil cement mixtures, the paste is insufficient to fill
the aggregate voids and coat all particles, resulting in a cement matrix that binds
nodules of uncemented material. It is widely used as a low-cost pavement base for
roads, residential streets, parking areas, airports, shoulders, and materials-handling
and storage areas. Its advantages of great strength and durability combine with low
first cost to make it the outstanding value in its field. A thin bituminous surface is
usually placed on the soil-cement to complete the pavement. The cost of soil-
cement compares favorably with that of granular-base pavement. When built for
equal load-carrying capacity, soil-cement is almost always less expensive than
other low-cost pavements. The major engineering benefits of cement stabilization
are increased strength, stiffness, better volume stability and increased durability.
Portland cement is a popular additive for stabilization.

This paper discusses the general classifications of grouting techniques and the
suitability of their applications. The mechanical properties of soil-cement mixture
and the influence of sodium silicate added are discussed. Design considerations
for deep soil mixed wall (DSMW) for excavation support and vault arch for
tunnelling stabilization are presented. Parameters for the numerical analysis of
soil-cement mixture are evaluated and recommended.

ii
 CONTENTS
SL NO. TITLE PAGE NO.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i
ABSTRACT ii
LIST OF FIGURES iv
1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 What is Soil Cement? 1
1.2 Why Use Soil-Cement? 1
1.3 How is Soil-Cement Built? 2
2 OBJECTIVE OF WORK 3
3 SOIL CEMENT ROAD 4
3.1 Performance of Soil Cement 4
3.2 Types of soil cement 5
3.2.1 Cement-modified soils (CMS) 5
3.2.2 Soil-cement base (SCB) 5
3.2.3 Cement-treated base (CTB) 5
3.2.4 Acrylic copolymer (Rhino Snot) 6
4 ADVANTAGES 7
4.1 Economic and Environmental Benefits 7
4.1.1 Low First Cost 7
4.1.2 Fast Construction 7
4.1.3 Recycling of Existing Materials 7
4.2 Engineering Benefits 7
4.2.1 Stiffness 8
4.2.2 Great Strength 9
5 4.2.3 Superior Performance
DISADVANTAGES 9
10
6 CONCLUSION 11
REFERENCE 12

iii
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIG. NO. NAME OF FIGURES PAGE NO.

3.1 Soil Cement 4

4.1 Representation of soil 8
4.2 Soil Cement Block 8

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Soil Cement Seminar Report 2020-21

1 INTRODUCTION
Soil-cement is a mixture of cementitious chemical material (usually
referred to cement) and natural material (usually referred to soils). The product has a
significant increase in shear strength to meet strength requirements of different
applications. Soil-cement is best described as fine-grained or coarse-grained soil-
cement mixture in accordance with soil classifications, and it presents different
mechanical properties accordingly. Grouting or mixing is the mechanical action to
produce soil- cement. Grouting may be classified according to the mechanical
action, such as jet grouting, permeation grouting, compaction grouting and fracture
grouting. On the other hand, grouting can also be classified based on the grouts, e.g.
chemical grouting, and cement grouting. In practise, additives, such as fly ash and
sodium sulphate solution, are admixed with the cementitious materials to meet
different needs. This paper first reviews the general classifications of grouting and the
suitability of their applications. Then, the mechanical properties of the soil-cement
mixture and the influence of the sodium silicate added are discussed. Finally, design
considerations for the two popular methods, i.e. deep soil mixed wall (DSMW) for
excavation support and vault arch for tunnelling, are presented.

1.1 What is Soil Cement?

Soil cement is a construction material, a mix of pulverized natural
soil with small amount of portland cement and water, usually processed in a tumble,
compacted to high density. Hard, semi-rigid durable material is formed by
hydration of the cement particles.

1.2 Why Use Soil-Cement?

Failing granular-base pavements, with or without their old bituminous mats, can
be salvaged, strengthened, and reclaimed as soil-cement pavements. This is an efficient,
economical way of rebuilding pavements. Since approximately 90 percent percent of the
material used is already in place, handling and hauling costs are cut to a minimum. Many
granular and waste materials from quarries and gravel pits can also be used to make soil-
cement; thus high-grade materials are conserved for other purposes. Highway and city
engineers praise soil-cement’s performance, its low first cost, long life, and high
strength. Soil-cement is constructed quickly and easily – a fact appreciated by owners
and users alike.

1.3 How is Soil-Cement Built?

Before construction begins, simple laboratory tests establish the cement content,
compaction, and water requirements of the soil material to be used. During construction,
tests are made to see that the requirements are being met. Testing ensures that the mixture
will have strength and longterm durability. No guesswork is involved. Soil-cement can be
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mixed in place or in a central mixing plant. Central mixing plants can be used where
borrow material is involved. Friable granular materials are selected for their low cement
requirements and ease of handling and mixing. Normally pugmill-type mixers are used.
The mixed soil-cement is then hauled to the jobsite and spread on the prepared subgrade.
Compaction and curing procedures are the same for central-plant and mixed-in-place
procedures. There are four steps in mixed-in-place soil-cement construction; spreading
cement, mixing, compaction, and curing. The proper quantity of cement is spread on the
in-place soil material. Then the cement, the soil material, and the necessary amount of
water are mixed thoroughly by any of several types of mixing machines. Next, the
mixture is tightly compacted to obtain maximum benefit form the cement. No special
compaction equipment is needed; rollers of various kinds, depending on soil type, can be
used. The mixture is cemented permanently at a high density and the hardened soil-
cement will not deform or consolidate further under traffic. Curing, the final step,
prevents evaporation of water to ensure maximum strength development through cement
hydration. A light coat of bituminous material is commonly used to prevent moisture loss;
it also forms part of the bituminous surface. A common type of wearing surface for light
traffic is a surface treatment of bituminous material and chips .5- to .75-inch thick. For
heavy-duty use and in severe climates a 1.5-inch asphalt mat is used. Contractors bidding
on soil-cement jobs know that construction will be relatively easy and problem-free;
weather delays rare; and reworking of completed sections unnecessary.

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2 OBJECTIVE OF WORK
 To study about soil cement roads.

 To study about construction methods.

 Discuss about various properties of soil cement roads.

 Discuss about advantages and disadvantages of soil cement roads.

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3 SOIL CEMENT ROAD

Soil-cement is a highly compacted mixture of soil/aggregate, Portland
cement, and water. Soil cement differs from Portland cement concrete pavements in
several respects. One significant difference is the manner in which the aggregates or
soil particles are held together. A Portland cement concrete pavements mix contains
sufficient paste (cement and water mixture) to coat the surface area of all aggregates
and fill the void between aggregates. In soil cement mixtures, the paste is insufficient
to fill the aggregate voids and coat all particles, resulting in a cement matrix that binds
nodules of un cemented material. It is widely used as a low-cost pavement base for
roads, residential streets, parking areas, airports, shoulders, and materials-handling and
storage areas. Its advantages of great strength and durability combine with low first
cost to make it the outstanding value in its field. A thin bituminous surface is usually
placed on the soil- cement to complete the pavement. material used for soil cement are
soil cement and water. The use of soil-cement can be of great benefit to both owners
and users of commercial facilities. Its cost compares favorably with that of granular-
base pavement. When built for equal load carrying capacity, soil-cement is almost
always less expensive than other low-cost site treatment or pavement methods. The
use or reuse of in-place or nearby borrow materials eliminates the need for hauling of
expensive, granular base materials; thus both energy and materials are conserved.

Figure 3.1 Soil Cement

3.1 Performance of Soil Cement

Soil-cement thicknesses are less than those required for granular bases carrying
the same traffic over the same subgrade. This is because soil-cement is a cemented, rigid
material that distributes loads over broad areas. Its slab-like characteristics and beam
strength are unmatched by granular bases. Hard, rigid soil- cement resists cyclic cold,
rain, and spring-thaw damage. Cement stabilizes soil in two ways. First, it reduces soil
plasticity, especially for the soil in which there is high amount of clay particles. The
second is cementation which is very important because clay is not its main composition.

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In fine grained silty and clayey soils, the hydration of cement develops strong linkages
between the soil aggregates to form a matrix that effectively encases the soil aggregates.
Old soil-cement pavements in all parts of the continent are still giving good service at low
maintenance costs. Soil-cement has been used in every state in the United States and in all
Canadian provinces. Specimens taken from roads show that the strength of soil-cement
actually increases with age; some specimens were four times as strong as test specimens
made when the roads were first opened to traffic. This reserve strength accounts in part
for soil-cement’s good long-term performance.

3.2 Types of soil cement

3.2.1 Cement-modified soils (CMS)

A cement-modified soil contains relatively small proportion of
Portland cement. The result is caked or slightly hardened material, similar to a soil,
but with improved mechanical properties - lower plasticity, increased bearing ratio
and shearing strength, and decreased volume change.

3.2.2 Soil-cement base (SCB)

A soil-cement base contains higher proportion of cement than cement-
modified soil. It is commonly used as a cheap pavement base for roads, streets,
parking lots, airports, and material handling areas. Specialized equipment, such as a
soil stabilizer and a mechanical cement spreader is usually required. A seal coat is
required in order to keep moisture out. For uses as a road construction material, a
suitable surface coating, usually a thin layer of asphalt concrete, is needed to reduce
wear.
In comparison with granular bases, soil cement bases can be thinner for
the same road load, owing to their slab-like behavior that distributes load over
broader areas. In-place or nearby located materials can be used for construction -
locally found soil, stone, or reclaimed granular base from a road being reconstructed.
This conserves both material and energy. The strength of soil-cement bases actually
increases with age, providing good long-term performance
3.2.3 Cement-treated base (CTB)
A cement-treated base is a mix of granular soil aggregates or
aggregate material with Portland cement and water. It is similar in use and
performance to soil- cement base.

3.2.4 Acrylic copolymer (Rhino Snot)

Developed for the U.S. Military in desert conditions and commercially

trademarked, "Rhino Snot" is a water soluble acrylic copolymer applied to soil or sand
which penetrates and coats the surface. When dry, it forms a waterproof, UV-
resistant,solid bond which binds the soil together reducing dust. In higher concentration it

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creates a durable surface that can withstand heavy traffic allowing existing soil to be used
for roads, parking lots, trails and other heavy traffic areas.

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4 ADVANTAGES
4.1 Economic and Environmental Benefits

4.1.1 Low First Cost

Soil-cement is often more economical to construct than bases through the use of
soil material on or near the commercial paving site. any in-place non- organic ,low
plasticity soils can be used. Also, nearby borrow soil can provide an excellent material
source, requiring lower cement contents than clay and silt soils. Borrow soils do not
have to be expensive base-course material; almost any granular material is suitable.

4.1.2 Fast Construction

Modern methods and equipment make soil-cement processing simple and

efficient. In-place soils are processed at the paving site. When borrow soil is used, it is
usually mixed in a central plant the borrow source, the hauled to the paving site to be
compacted. Finished to grade, and cured. There is no mellowing period or other delays
in the construction process .In addition, soil cement is stable immediately after
construction and gains strength rapidly.

4.1.3 Recycling of Existing Materials

Making good soil-cement out of old flexible pavement is nothing new; it has
been done for years. Failed flexible pavements contain materials that can be salvaged
economically by recycling-breaking them up, pulverizing them, and stabilizing them a
minimum quantity of Portland cement to make a new soil-cement base. There is no
disposal problem as is commonly found when old pavements are dug out.Since
approximately90% of the material used is already in place, handling and hauling costs
are cut to a minimum. Many granular and waste materials from quarries and gravel pits
can also be used to make soil-cement, thus conserving high- grade materials for other
purposes.
4.2 Engineering Benefits

4.2.1 Stiffness
Soil-cement is a low-cost pavement base offering the feature most essential for
long-lasting parking and storage areas-stiffness. Large paved areas must maintain their
original grade and must not develop depressions or potholes if they are to drain freely
during rains, thereby preventing puddles and damage from water that seeps through and
weakens the underlying soil. The stiffness of a cement-stabilized base acts to distribute
loads over a wider area, reducing subgrade stresses and allowing the maintain its
original grade for many years without costly resurfacing or repairs.

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Figure 4.1 Representation of soil

Soil-cement does not rut or consolidate. As a cemented material ,it does not
soften when exposed to water. When rutting occurs in an un stabilized base material
or the underlying subgrade soil, a simple overlay of the pavement surface is
insufficient to correct the cause of the rutting. With a stabilized base, rutting is
confined to the asphalt surface layer and is relatively simple and less expensive to
correct.

4.2.2 Great Strength

Cores taken from soil-cement pavements furnish proof of its strength. Samples
taken after 15 to 20 years show considerably greater strength than sample taken when
the pavement was initially built. Because the cement in soil-cement continues to
hydrate for many years, soil-cement has “reserve” strength and actually grows strength
and actually grows stronger.
Soil-cement thickness requirements are less than those for granular bases
carrying the same traffic over the same subgrade. This is because soil-cement
distributes loads over broad areas. Its slab-like characteristics and beam strength are
unmatched by granular bases. Strong, stiff soil cement resists cyclic cold, rain and
spring-thaw damage.

Figure 4.2 Soil cement block

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4.2.3 Superior Performance

More than 70 years of collective experience have demonstrated that
different kinds of soilcement mixtures can be tailored to specific pavement
applications, all achieving superior performance as a result of soil-cement’s strength.
Thousands of miles of soil-cement pavement in every state in the United States and
in all the Cannadian provinces are still providing good service at low maintenance
costs.

Cement-treated bases are designed to be virtually impermeable,so that

even under frost conditions no ice lenses can form in the base layer.With a
granular,unbound material,if poor drainage exists or groundwater rises,the base can
easily become saturated,causing significant strength losses.The cement-stabilized
layer,on the other hand,will maintain significant strength even in the unlikely event it
becomes saturated.
The higher stiffness of cement-treated bases leads to lower pavement deflections
and lower asphalt strains,resulting in longer fatigue life for the asphalt surface .The use
of soil-cement actually reduces the occurrence of fatigue cracking,a common pavement
failure.

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5 DISADVANTAGES
 Need to follow the standard strictly. if not, the result May not work properly.

 Water still be able to penetrate if Capillary void too big.

 If the percentage of Cement too high, it’ll create crack. Due to less flexibility
(too brittle) Normally the optium percentage of cement shall be lesser than
7% by weight of dry soil.
 It’s not suitable for some type of soils.

 The homogeneously mix is strictly concened,then this process need

experienced supevisor or quality equipment to process.

 Can not operate if moisture of soil above 10%.

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6 CONCLUSIONS
The conclusions obtained from the research work can be summarised as
follows:

• Soil cement provided strength and durability which is outstanding value as a base/sub
- base material. Also, it is best alternative material for low-cost structure.
• Soil cement benefits the pavement by distributing the load uniformly, eliminate
base rutting and reduces deflection as well as moisture problem.
• The OMC of mixture (soil-cement) increase with increasing of cement content.

• The UCS of stabilised soil increases with increasing the quantity of cement in
a mixture.
• The UCS of stabilised soil increases with increasing the curing period.

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REFERENCES
[1] Broms, B.B., (1986). Stabilisation of Soft Clay with Lime and Cement Columns in
Southeast Asia. Applied Research Project, Nanyang Technical Institute, Singapore

[2] Currin, D.D., Allen, J.J., Little, D.N.,(1976). Validation of soil stabilisation
index system with manual development. Frank J. Seisler Research Laboratory,
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado.

[3] Das, B., (1994). Principle of Geotechnical Engineering. 3rd Edition, PWS-Kent
Publishing Company, Boston
[4] Derucher, K.N., Korfitatis, G.P., Ezeldin, A.S., Materials for Civil and Highway
Engineers. Prentice-Hall.
[5] Eades, J.L., Grim, R.E., (1996). A Quick Test to Determine Lime Requirements
for Lime Stabilization. Highway Research Board, National Research Council,
Washington DC, No. 139, pp. 61-72.
[6] Imran, M.S., Gary, K.F., Michael, P.E., (2007). Innovation in cement
stabilisation of airfield subgrades. Proceedings of FAA worldwide airport
technology transfer conference, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, pp 6-8.
[7] Sadek, D., Roslan, H., Abubakar, D.A.,( 2008). Engineering Properties of Stabilized
Tropical Peat Soils. Bund, EJGE13, pp 7.

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