Mechanical Characterization of Compated Soil Cement Using Acoustic Vibrations

Foundations play a critical role in safely transferring structural loads to the ground, and challenges with footing on soft clayey soils in small and mediumsized projects often result in impractical solutions, such as using piles that may not always be economically feasible. Soil improvement techniques, such as cement stabilization, present a viable alternative. This paper investigates the feasibility of mechanically characterizing compacted soil cement (CSC) using acoustic vibrations, a non-destructive and cost-effective method commonly applied to materials such as concrete, but rarely to soils. Using the Impulse Excitation Technique (IET) and axial compression tests, CSC samples with varying cement dosages (0%, 6%, 9%, and 12%) were analyzed. The study established empirical models that correlate static elastic moduli and maximum compressive strength with dynamic elastic moduli, obtaining correlation coefficients of R2 = 0.77764 and R2 = 0.9059, respectively. The results also demonstrate that increasing the content of cement improves mechanical properties, leading to greater compressive strength and elastic moduli, while decreasing the damping ratio associated with the natural longitudinal frequency. In this way, this research confirms that acoustic vibration testing is both a technically viable and economically advantageous method to evaluate soil cement properties, offering a rapid and effective alternative for geotechnical applications.