Soil cement

<h2 id="types-of-soil-cements">Types of soil cements</h2>
<h3>Cement-modified soils (CMS)</h3>
<p>A cement-modified soil contains a relatively small proportion of Portland cement, less than in ordinary soil-cement.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> The result is caked or slightly hardened material, similar to a soil, but with improved mechanical properties such as lower <a href="/facts/Plasticity_(physics)/2VKo6keA">plasticity</a>, increased bearing ratio and shear strength, and decreased volume change. The purpose of modifying soil with Portland cement is to improve a substandard soil's engineering qualities.
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<h3>Soil-cement base (SCB)</h3>
<p>A soil-cement base contains higher proportion of cement than cement-modified soil. It is commonly used as a cheap <a href="/facts/Pavement_(material)/m80ermWq">pavement</a> base for roads, streets, parking lots, airports, and material handling areas. Specialized equipment, such as a soil stabilizer and a mechanical cement spreader is usually required. A seal coat is required in order to keep <a href="/facts/Moisture/vubw4SpX">moisture</a> out. For uses as a <a href="/facts/Road/3aadH4s3">road</a> construction material, a suitable surface coating, usually a thin layer of <a href="/facts/Asphalt_concrete/TTp7fXA6">asphalt concrete</a>, is needed to reduce <a href="/facts/Wear/2PxRQ1Ke">wear</a>.
</p><p>In comparison with granular bases, soil cement bases can be thinner for the same road load, owing to their slab-like behavior that distributes load over broader areas. In-place or nearby located materials can be used for construction - locally found soil, stone, or reclaimed granular base from a road being reconstructed. This conserves both material and energy.
</p><p>The strength of soil-cement bases actually increases with age, providing good long-term performance.
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<h3>Cement-treated base (CTB)</h3>
<p>A cement-treated base is a mix of granular soil aggregates or aggregate material with Portland cement and water. It is similar in use and performance to soil-cement base. 
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<h3>Acrylic copolymer (Rhino Snot)</h3>
<p>Developed for the U.S. Military in desert conditions and commercially trademarked, "Rhino Snot" is a water-soluble acrylic copolymer applied to soil or sand to penetrate and coat the surface. When dry, it forms a waterproof, UV-resistant, solid bond which binds the soil together, reducing dust. In higher concentrations, it creates a durable surface that can withstand heavy traffic, allowing existing soil to be used for roads, parking lots, trails and other heavy-traffic areas.
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<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Cellular_confinement/DKHcztF0">Cellular confinement</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Compressed_earth_block/FMuGJmJp">Compressed earth block</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Geopolymers/Rf8xuvHD">Geopolymers</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Sandcrete/G3GMjJ7U">Sandcrete</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>"Cement-Modified Soil (CMS)" Portland Cement Association accessed March, 16 2015 <a href="http://www.cement.org/think-harder-concrete-/paving/cement-modified-soils-(cms)" target="_blank">http://www.cement.org/think-harder-concrete-/paving/cement-modified-soils-(cms)</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Soil cement open-in-new

Soil cement