Shear Strength Parameters and Mohr–Coulomb Failure Envelopes for Cement-Stabilised Rammed Earth

Abstract

Cement-stabilised rammed earth (CSRE) has been used for the construction of load-bearing walls, retaining walls, foundations, etc., across the world. Determining the shear strength parameters of CSRE assumes importance in the analysis of CSRE behaviour under compression and in determining the in-plane shear strength of CSRE walls. There are limited studies on the shear strength parameters of CSRE and hardly any information on Mohr–Coulomb failure envelopes for CSRE. The paper presents the experimental studies on characterising the shear strength parameters and generating the Mohr–Coulomb failure envelopes for CSRE. Triaxial compression tests were performed and the shear strength parameters, cohesion and angle of internal friction were determined in dry and wet conditions. Cohesion of CSRE is found to be a function of cement content irrespective of confining pressure. Mohr–Coulomb failure envelopes of the form $\tau_{\text{csre}} = c + \sigma \tan \phi$ were generated.