Soil-Cement Mechanical Characterization Using Acoustic Vibration

Resumo

The execution of small and medium-sized foundations (for houses, townhouses, sheds, etc.), has often
been proven unfeasible because the use of semi-empirical equations results in low load capacity values, generally
leading to the use of piles. However, this is not always an economical alternative, due to the low level of loads on
the pillars. There are alternatives for improvement such as the use of cement. The mechanical characterization of
these materials is needed; therefore, the use of acoustic vibrations appears as a non-destructive and economical
technique. This technique is used for materials such as concrete and hasn’t been often applied in the soil area. In
this work, the feasibility of mechanically characterizing the dynamic modulus of elasticity and damping ratios is
studied for soil-cement-compacted (SCC). The experimental program consists of carrying out acoustic tests on
SCC specimens with cement dosage of 6, 9 and 12% in relation to the total weight of the mixture.