Simplified method to assess freeze-thaw durability of soil cement

This paper presents experimental work conducted to investigate the possibility of using unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of soil-cement as a credible indicator of durability. The UCS is determined for specimens subjected to cycles of the standard freeze-thaw durability test but not brushed, which eliminates a major source of variation and produces more consistent results. The measured strength will be termed the residual UCS. The work in this paper complements previous work done on wet-dry durability test specimens. UCS could also be determined for the specimens cured for 7 days without subjecting it to the alternating cycles, and this will be termed UCS. The data in this paper show strong correlation between percent mass loss from the standard freeze-thaw durability test and either residual UCS or UCS. The use of UCS, pending enough data, could also expedite the results and reduce the duration of the test from about 40 to 7 days.