Effect of Cement on Clayey Silt for Stabilization of Canal Embankments

This study examines the influences of the cement to clayey-silt (c/c.sub.s) ratio on the strength, compressibility, and usability in embankments. Laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the influence of the c/c.sub.s ratio on the shear strength, stress-strain behavior, and volumetric compressibility, which in turn determine whether cemented soil can be advantageous in controlling the failure of canal embankments. Canal embankment breaches occur for a variety of reasons, the most common being the loss of embankment strength. Our results indicate that the strength parameters, namely cohesion (c) and friction angle ([Phi]), increased by up to 30% when the c/c.sub.s ratio was 0.15/0.85. When the c/c.sub.s ratio was 0.1/0.9, there was more compressibility than when the ratio was 0.05/0.95. For vertical strains, a c/c.sub.s ratio of 0.1/0.9 showed 13% more strains than that of natural soil. The c.sub.s/c ratio is what leads to the strain hardening along the axial strains. The preliminary results suggest that using cemented soils with proper compaction, canal embankments can be strengthened to avoid failures.