Assessment of strength development of cemented desert soil

For highway construction or any superstructure, on dune sand, designers and construction teams must ensure that the foundation soil is stable enough to provide support for the applied loads. Sand dunes are stretched across Libyan deserts that make road construction a challenge because of the poor soil base. Replacement of such a weak soil is very expensive and not economically feasible, and, in many cases, there is no alternative soil nearby. This study used two different mix designs aimed at stabilizing the existing base course using a mix of dune sand and manufactured sand with a small percentage of Portland cement. Compaction, unconfined compressive strength and California bearing ratio tests were conducted on the treated sample with a varying cement proportion of 0%, 3%, 5% and 7% by weight. The first tests were done with a mix of 50% dune sand and 50% crushed sand that is shown to have excellent results. For a more economic design, this study also included testing of another mix design with 70% dune sand and 30% crushed sand; laboratory results show this 70%/30% mixture was appropriate to use as a base-treated material for road construction material. This mix resulted in overall superior performance. Its use will reduce the cost of road construction by saving materials and time, and it will also have lower environmental impacts in desert areas. This study has shown that the stabilization of weak material (desert sand) by using cement improves the strength characteristics of the treated soil.