Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Influence of Silica Fume on the Geotechnical Characteristics of Cemented Sand

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Geotechnical and Geological Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is well recognized that the addition of cement to sand is one of the environmental and economic techniques in soil stabilization. However, with respect to silica fume, its impact on the characteristics of cemented sand has not been comprehensively investigated. For this purpose, a series of standard Proctor compaction, unconfined compression, pH and microstructure tests including field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy tests were carried out in this research to explore the influence of silica fume on the geotechnical characteristics of cemented sand. Cement in percentages of 3, 5 and 7% and silica fume in percentages of 0, 0.25, 0.5 and 1% by dry weight of sand were utilized. For unconfined compression and pH tests, samples were cured for different curing times of 3, 7, 14, 28, 42 and 56 days. The results indicated that silica fume particles increase maximum dry unit weight of sand–cement mixtures and reduce their optimum moisture content. Moreover, silica fume improves unconfined compressive strength of cemented sand which the impact of this improvement is more obvious for samples with longer curing time. According to the results obtained by unconfined compression and pH tests, it was detected that there are optimum values of curing time and silica fume amount at which strength of silica fume–cemented sand enhances significantly. Furthermore, some relations were proposed between stiffness and unconfined compressive strength of silica fume–cemented sand. Finally, the results of microstructure analysis confirmed the results found through unconfined compression tests.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21
Fig. 22
Fig. 23
Fig. 24
Fig. 25
Fig. 26

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AbdelAleem BH, Hassan AAA (2018) Development of self-consolidating rubberized concrete incorporating silica fume. Constr Build Mater 161:389–397

    Google Scholar 

  • Afrakoti MTP, Choobbasti AJ, Ghadakpour M, Kutanaei SS (2020) Investigation of the effect of the coal wastes on the mechanical properties of the cement-treated sandy soil. Constr Build Mater 239:117848

    Google Scholar 

  • Al-Aghbari MY, Mohamedzein YEA, Taha R (2009) Stabilization of desert sands using cement and cement dust. Proc Inst Civ Eng Ground Improv 162(3):145–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Alrubaye AJ, Hasan M, Fattah MY (2017) Stabilization of soft kaolin clay with silica fume and lime. Int J Geotech Eng 11:90–96

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D 698 (2012) Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using standard effort. Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D 854 (2014) Standard test methods for specific gravity of soil solids by water pycnometer. Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D 2166 (2016) Standard test method for unconfined compressive strength of cohesive soil. Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D 2487 (2017) Standard practice for classification of soils for engineering purposes (unified soil classification system). Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken

    Google Scholar 

  • ASTM D 4972 (2019) Standard test methods for pH of soils. Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken

    Google Scholar 

  • Ateş A (2016) Mechanical properties of sandy soils reinforced with cement and randomly distributed glass fibers (GRC). Compos Part B Eng 96:295–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahmani SH, Farzadnia N, Asadi A, Huat BB (2016) The effect of size and replacement content of nanosilica on strength development of cement treated residual soil. Constr Build Mater 118:294–306

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaudoin JJ, Dramé H, Raki L, Alizadeh R (2009) Formation and properties of C–S–H–PEG nano-structures. Mater Struct 42(7):1003–1014

    Google Scholar 

  • Byfors K (1987) Influence of silica fume and flyash on chloride diffusion and pH values in cement paste. Cem Concr Res 17(1):115–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardoso R, Ribeiro D, Néri R (2017) Bonding effect on the evolution with curing time of compressive and tensile strength of sand–cement mixtures. Soils Found 57(4):655–668

    Google Scholar 

  • Choobbasti AJ, Kutanaei SS (2017a) Microstructure characteristics of cement-stabilized sandy soil using nanosilica. J Rock Mech Geotech Eng 9:981–988

    Google Scholar 

  • Choobbasti AJ, Kutanaei SS (2017b) Effect of fiber reinforcement on deformability properties of cemented sand. J Adhes Sci Technol 31(14):1576–1590

    Google Scholar 

  • Chung DDL (2002) Review: improving cement-based materials by using silica fume. J Mater Sci 37(4):673–682

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Foppa D (2014) Porosity/cement ratio controlling initial bulk modulus and incremental yield stress of an artificially cemented soil cured under stress. Géotech Lett 4(1):22–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Prietto PDM, Ulbrich LA (1998) Influence of fiber and cement addition on behavior of sandy soil. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 124:1211–1214

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Vendruscolo MA, Prietto PDM (2003) Behavior of plate load tests on soil layers improved with cement and fiber. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 129:96–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Vendruscolo MA, Fonini A, Dalla Rosa F (2009a) Fiber reinforcement effects on sand considering a wide cementation range. Geotext Geomembr 27(3):196–203

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Viana da Fonseca A, Cruz RC, Heineck KS (2009b) Fundamental parameters for the stiffness and strength control of artificially cemented sand. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 135:1347–1353

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Cruz RC, Floss MF, Festugato L (2010) Parameters controlling tensile and compressive strength of artificially cemented sand. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 136:759–763

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, da Fonseca AV, Silva SR, Cruz RC, Fonini A (2012) Parameters controlling stiffness and strength of artificially cemented soils. Géotechnique 62:177–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Consoli BS, Festugato L (2013a) A practical methodology for the determination of failure envelopes of fiber-reinforced cemented sands. Geotext Geomembr 41:50–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, Festugato L, da Rocha CG, Cruz RC (2013b) Key parameters for strength control of rammed sand–cement mixtures: influence of types of portland cement. Constr Build Mater 49:591–597

    Google Scholar 

  • Consoli NC, da Silva A, Barcelos AM, Festugato L, Favretto F (2020) Porosity/cement index controlling flexural tensile strength of artificially cemented soils in Brazil. Geotech Geol Eng 38:713–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalla Rosa F, Consoli NC, Baudet BA (2008) An experimental investigation of the behaviour of artificially cemented soil cured under stress. Geotech 58(8):675–679

    Google Scholar 

  • Farmani F, Bonakdarpour B, Ramezanianpour AA (2015) pH reduction through amendment of cement mortar with silica fume enhances its biological treatment using bacterial carbonate precipitation. Mater Struct 48(10):3205–3215

    Google Scholar 

  • Faro VP, Consoli NC, Schnaid F, Thome A, da Silva LL (2015) Field tests on laterally loaded rigid piles in cement treated soils. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 141:605–615

    Google Scholar 

  • Farzadnia N, Abang Ali AA, Demirboga R, Anwar MP (2013) Characterization of high strength mortars with nano titania at elevated temperatures. Constr Build Mater 43:469–479

    Google Scholar 

  • Fattah MY, Joni HH, Al-Dulaimy ASA (2018) Strength characteristics of dune sand stabilized with lime–silica fume mix. Int J Pavement Eng 19:874–882

    Google Scholar 

  • Forcelini M, Garbin GR, Faro VP (2016) Mechanical behavior of soil cement blends with Osorio sand. Procedia Eng 143:75–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaitero JJ, Campillo I, Guerrero A (2008) Reduction of the calcium leaching rate of cement paste by addition of silica nanoparticles. Cem Concr Res 38(8–9):1112–1118

    Google Scholar 

  • Garcia DCS, Soares MMNS, Bezerra ACS, Aguilar MTP, Figueiredo RB (2017) Microstructure and hardness of cement pastes with mineral admixture. Rev Matéria 22(2):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghadakpour M, Choobbasti AJ, Kutanaei SS (2019) Investigation of the deformability properties of fiber reinforced cemented sand. J Adhes Sci Technol 33:1913–1938

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghadakpour M, Choobbasti AJ, Kutanaei SS (2020) Investigation of the Kenaf fiber hybrid length on the properties of the cement-treated sandy soil. Transp Geotech 22:100301

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodarzi AR, Goodarzi SH, Akbari HR (2015) Assessing geo-mechanical and micro-structural performance of modified expansive clayey soil by silica fume as industrial waste. Iran J Sci Technol 39:333–350

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamidi A, Hooresfand M (2013) Effect of fiber reinforcement on triaxial shear behavior of cement treated sand. Geotext Geomembr 36:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Houston JR, Maxwell RS, Carroll SA (2009) Transformation of meta-stable calcium silicate hydrates to tobermorite: reaction kinetics and molecular structure from XRD and NMR spectroscopy. Geochem Trans 10:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Juenger MCG, Siddique R (2015) Recent advances in understanding the role of supplementary cementitious materials in concrete. Cem Concr Res 78:71–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalkan E (2009) Effects of silica fume on the geotechnical properties of fine-grained soils exposed to freeze and thaw. Cold Reg Sci Technol 58(3):130–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalkan E, Akbulut S (2004) The positive effects of silica fume on the permeability, swelling pressure and compressive strength of natural clay liners. Eng Geol 73:145–156

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaniraj SR, Havanagi VG (2001) Behavior of cement-stabilized fiber-reinforced fly ash–soil mixtures. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 127:574–584

    Google Scholar 

  • Kawashima S, Hou P, Corr DJ, Shah SP (2013) Modification of cement-based materials with nanoparticles. Cem Concr Compos 36:8–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan M, Majid A (2019) Improvement in concrete behavior with fly ash, silica-fume and coconut fibres. Constr Build Mater 203:174–187

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim JS, Kwon S, Choi JW, Cho GC (2011) Properties of low-ph cement grout as a sealing material for the geological disposal of radioactive waste. Nucl Eng Technol 43(5):459–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkbride TW (1988) Condensed silica fume in concrete. Thomas Telford, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutanaei SS, Choobbasti AJ (2017) Effects of nanosilica particles and randomly distributed fibers on the ultrasonic pulse velocity and mechanical properties of cemented sand. J Mater Civil Eng 29(3):04016230

    Google Scholar 

  • Meddah MS, Ismail MA, El-Gamal S, Fitriani H (2018) Performances evaluation of binary concrete designed with silica fume and metakaolin. Constr Build Mater 166:400–412

    Google Scholar 

  • Mola-Abasi H, Khajeh A, Semsani SN (2018a) Porosity/(SiO2 and Al2O3 particles) ratio controlling compressive strength of zeolite–cemented sands. Geotech Geol Eng 36(2):949–958

    Google Scholar 

  • Mola-Abasi H, Khajeh A, Semsani SN (2018b) Effect of the ratio between porosity and SiO2 and Al2O3 on tensile strength of zeolite–cemented sands. J Mater Civ Eng 30:04018028

    Google Scholar 

  • Mola-Abasi H, Saberian M, Li J (2019) Prediction of compressive and tensile strengths of zeolite–cemented sand using porosity and composition. Constr Build Mater 202:784–795

    Google Scholar 

  • Ortolan VK, Mancio M, Tutikian BF (2016) Evaluation of the influence of the pH of concrete pore solution on the corrosion resistance of steel reinforcement. J Build Rehabil 1:1–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Phanikumar BR, Jagapathi Raju M, Ramanjaneya Raju E (2020) Silica fume stabilization of an expansive clay subgrade and the effect of silica fume–stabilised soil cushion on its CBR. Geomech Geoeng 15:64–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Puppala AJ (2008) Estimating stiffness of subgrade and unbound materials for pavement design. NCHRP Synthesis 382. Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Qing Y, Zenan Z, Deyu K, Rongshen C (2007) Influence of nano-SiO2 addition on properties of hardened cement paste as compared with silica fume. Constr Build Mater 21:539–545

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasouli H, Takhtfiroozeh H, Taghavi Ghalesari A, Hemati R (2017) Bearing capacity improvement of shallow foundations using cement-stabilized sand. Key Eng Mater 723:795–800

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossen JE, Lothenbach B, Scrivener KL (2015) Composition of C–S–H in pastes with increasing levels of silica fume addition. Cem Concr Res 75:14–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Sadati S, Khanzadeh Moradllo M, Shekarchi M (2017) Long-term performance of silica fume concrete in soil exposure of marine environments. J Mater Civ Eng 29:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Sariosseiri F, Muhunthan B (2009) Effect of cement treatment on geotechnical properties of some Washington state soils. Eng Geol 104:119–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Shalabi FI, Mazher J, Khan K, Alsuliman M, Almustafa I, Mahmoud W, Alomran N (2019) Cement-stabilized waste sand as sustainable construction materials for foundations and highway roads. Mater 12:600–615

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen L, Li Q, Ge W, Xu S (2020) The mechanical property and frost resistance of roller compacted concrete by mixing silica fume and limestone powder: experimental study. Constr Build Mater 239:117882

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi C, Day RL (2000) Pozzolanic reaction in the presence of chemical activators: part II-reaction products and mechanism. Cem Concr Res 30(4):607–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Shooshpasha I, Shirvani RA (2015) Effect of cement stabilization on geotechnical properties of sandy soils. Geomech Eng 8(1):17–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Torbjörn HP, Björn L, Carsten V (2005) Selective stabilization of deep core drilled boreholes using low-pH cement. In: Proceedings of the 2nd low-pH workshop, ESDRED, Madrid, Spain, 15–16 June 2005

  • Wang L, Zhou SH, Shi Y, Tang SW, Chen E (2017) Effect of silica fume and PVA fiber on the abrasion resistance and volume stability of concrete. Compos Part B Eng 130:28–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu Z, Shi C, Khayat KH (2016) Influence of silica fume content on microstructure development and bond to steel fiber in ultra-high strength cement-based materials (UHSC). Cem Concr Compos 71:97–109

    Google Scholar 

  • Zabielska K (2008) Laboratory compaction of fly ash and fly ash with cement additions. J Hazard Mater 151(2–3):481–489

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, Tan H, Shen W, Xu G, Ma B, Ji X (2018) Nano-silica and silica fume modified cement mortar used as surface protection material to enhance the impermeability. Cem Concr Compos 92:7–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Zhang B, Yan P (2016) Comparative study of effect of raw and densified silica fume in the paste, mortar and concrete. Constr Build Mater 105:82–93

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geotechnical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, P.O. Box 484, Babol, 4714871167, Iran

    Ali Hasanzadeh & Issa Shooshpasha

Authors
  1. Ali Hasanzadeh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Issa Shooshpasha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Issa Shooshpasha.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hasanzadeh, A., Shooshpasha, I. Influence of Silica Fume on the Geotechnical Characteristics of Cemented Sand. Geotech Geol Eng 38, 6295–6312 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01436-w

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-020-01436-w

Keywords

Search

Navigation