Removal of Cementation Bonds in Stressed Overconsolidated Clays

Abstract Soils develop cementation during and after formation because of the effects of stress, time, and environment. The effects of cement removal on the change of state of soil under stress are discussed in this paper. The change in the state of stiff, overconsolidated, cemented clay under stress is reflected by void ratio change when the cementation bonds are removed. The observed increases in void ratio have been attributed to the latent physico-chemical behavior of the clay. The consolidation process is restrained during both deposition and subsequent stress history once clays are cemented. Upon further loading, clays with cement bonds removed follow the e-log σ paths predicted for the uncemented state of the same soil both for normally and overconsolidated stress conditions.