# Dynamic Properties of Mineral-Based Cementitious Material-Stabilized Slurry Soil Under Vehicle Loading

## TL;DR

This study examines how mineral-based cement improves the mechanical properties of sludge soil under vehicle loads, offering insights for its use in road construction.

## Contribution

The study introduces a modified Hardin-Drnevich model to accurately characterize the dynamic behavior of stabilized sludge soils.

## Key findings

- Higher binder content and longer curing age increase dynamic shear modulus and reduce damping ratio.
- The dynamic shear modulus shows frequency-dependent behavior within tested loading ranges.
- SEM confirms that hydration reactions create a denser soil structure, improving mechanical performance.

## Abstract

Sludge is a common engineering byproduct that poses environmental and land-use challenges when disposed of directly. Converting sludge into high-quality subgrade filling material through solidification is therefore of both engineering and ecological significance. In this study, dynamic triaxial tests were conducted on sludge soils stabilized with mineral-based cementitious binders to investigate the effects of binder content, loading frequency, and curing age on the backbone curve, dynamic shear modulus, maximum shear modulus, ultimate stress amplitude, shear modulus ratio, and damping ratio. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was further employed to examine the microstructural evolution of the stabilized soils. The results indicate that increasing binder content and curing age significantly enhance the dynamic shear modulus while reducing the damping ratio, and the modulus exhibits a frequency-dependent behavior within the tested loading range. The modified Hardin-Drnevich constitutive model was successfully applied to fit the experimental data, accurately characterizing the dynamic response of stabilized sludge soils and enabling the development of a normalized model for the dynamic shear modulus ratio. SEM observations confirm that hydration reactions between the binder and soil produce gel products that fill interparticle pores, leading to a denser structure and explaining the observed macroscopic improvements in mechanical behavior. Overall, this work elucidates the dynamic response mechanisms of sludge stabilized with mineral-based cementitious materials and provides theoretical and experimental support for its resource utilization in road engineering applications.