Abstract
Sand-cement mixtures are typically used as subgrade for pavement and in embankment construction. In these applications, mixtures are typically unsaturated. Soil water characteristic curve is considered as a useful tool to understand the unsaturated behavior of these mixtures and provide information on the pore size distribution. This study aims at evaluating the dry soil water characteristic curves (SWCC) of soil-cement mixtures. The effect of cement content (3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% by dry weight of sand) and curing period (7 and 28 days) on the parameters of soil water characteristic curves were demonstrated. Test was performed using axis translation technique for suctions levels up to 1500 kPa. Test results revealed that the cement content had a significant effect on the air entry value and saturation water content; while had a negligible effect on the residual water content. In addition, the curing period had a negligible effect on SWCC parameters for cement content less than 6 %. As the cement content increases beyond 6%, the effect of curing period was more pronounced.