Mechanical behaviour of cement-treated sand

•We investigated the compressive and tensile behaviour of cement-treated sand.•Compressive strength of cement-treated sand is independent of test specimen size.•Compression and tension softening behaviour of cement-treated sand are investigated.•Compression fracture zone length of cement-treated sand is approximately 250 mm.•Relationship between compressive and tensile fracture energy are suggested.

A study has been conducted to investigate the mechanical behaviour of cement-treated sand under compression and tension. Cylindrical and notched beam specimens were made by using high early strength cement, sand, and limestone powder with varying ratios of water to cement (W/C), specific ratios of cement to sand (C/S), and limestone powder to cement (L/C). The influences of the material strength and height to diameter ratio (H/D) on the compressive and tensile strength, as well as the fracture energy were investigated. Stress strain relationships are proposed to predict the behaviour of cement-treated sands.