Effect of particle shape of glass beads on the strength and deformation of cemented sands

Few studies have focused on the influence of particle shape on the mechanical properties of cemented sand. To address this lack of information, this study investigated the influence of the cement content and particle shape on the strength and deformation of cemented sand based on a series of unconfined compression tests of mixed specimens. Cemented specimens were prepared with cement contents ranging from 4 to 8% and different mixing ratios of angular glass beads (AGBs) and rounded glass beads (RGBs). A shape parameter (overall regularity O_R) was proposed to quantitatively evaluate the shape of the particles. Mixed specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis to illustrate the properties of the bonds with different mixing ratios of AGBs and RGBs. The test results indicated that the strength and stiffness increased as the cement content increased and the O_R decreased. The trend of particle shape on the strength and stiffness was found to be independent of the cement content. The SEM images showed that the effective cementation area between angular particles is larger than that between rounded particles and that between angular and rounded particles, which resulted in increased strength and stiffness of the cemented sand.