Experimental study on crack resistance of cement-stabilized soil under high-temperature conditions

To investigate the formation of distinct crack patterns in cement-stabilized soil under varying temperatures, the Digital Image Correlation technique was employed to continuously measure strain fields on the surfaces of dried red clay and cement-stabilized soil samples exposed to different high-temperature conditions. Quantitative analysis was conducted to examine variations in crack morphology, focusing on moisture evaporation rates, crack propagation characteristics, strain field evolution, and surface crack ratios across temperature gradients. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were used to reveal the mechanism by which temperature influences the crack resistance of cement-stabilized soil. The results indicate that under identical environmental conditions, the moisture evaporation rate of cement-stabilized soil is higher than that of red clay, while the crack ratio is relatively lower. At equivalent drying durations, stress concentration on the sample surface is more pronounced at lower temperatures. As the temperature increases, the extent of crack development on the surface of cement-stabilized soil also increases. During the drying process, soil shrinkage initiates at crack edges and propagates progressively across the entire sample, with elevated temperatures correlating to reduced maximum shrinkage strain. To optimize the crack resistance of cement-stabilized soil in construction applications, a curing temperature of approximately 35°C is recommended.