Freeze-thaw performance of cement and fly ash stabilized loess

Loess soil, widely distributed in cold regions, is detrimental for pavement foundation. To minimize the effects of seasonal freeze-thaw cycles, there is a need to investigate freeze-thaw performance of loess with stabilizations. In this study, loess classified as silt was first stabilized with fly ash and cement, and freeze-thaw durability tests, frost-heave and thaw-weakening tests, and unconfined compression strength tests then were performed to determine improvements with respect to the laboratory freeze-thaw performance. Based on achieved results, saturated specimens exhibited only half of the compression strength of unsaturated specimens, and there were indications that fly ash slightly improved loess freeze-thaw durability and frost susceptibility, while addition of cement to loess was effective to maintain zero mass loss and negligible frost susceptibility. Infiltration paths for water supply in soil specimens were also effectively cut by using cement.