Compressibility of cemented dredged clay at high water content with super-absorbent polymer

This paper presents an investigation of the compression behaviour of cemented dredged clay at high water content with super-absorbent polymer (SAP) using the destructuring framework and the extended intrinsic compression line (EICL). The compression curve of cemented clay at the corresponding after-curing water content wt is used to formulate the comparison basis for evaluating the destructuring of the soil structure. The compressibility of cemented clay can be divided into two stages: pre-yield state, which is defined by the compression index at pre-yield state Cs, and post-yield state, which is represented by the destructuring framework, depending on the destructuring index, b. Test results reveal that Cs and b directly correlate with the degree of the cementation bond, represented by the yield stress σ′vy and the after-curing water content wt, which varies with the SAP content, the cement and lime content and the initial water content. Based on multiple regression analysis, the correlations of Cs and b with σ′vy, the after-curing wt and wL are proposed. Accordingly, a simple method for assessing the complete compression curve of cemented clay at high water content with SAP is suggested. The prediction agrees well with the experiment results, which implies that this method provides a rational first-order estimation of the compressibility of cemented clay with SAP during planning stage or in engineering practice.