Evaluation of the effect of induced vibration on early age lightweinght air-trapped soil

This study was conducted to determine the effect of vibration on the curing and compressive strength of lightweight air-trapped soil (ATS). ATS is manufactured by mixing cement with water and sand and injecting bubbles into the mixture. It is light as compared to regular soil, can reduce the weight on the ground, and has high fluidity. If ATS is used at construction sites with many vibration sources, such as pile driving, blasting, and construction machinery, the effect of vibration needs to be seriously considered. If a road is expanded using ATS to reduce traffic congestion, the ATS quality may decrease because of vibration generated by traffic moving on the road. In particular, because ATS contains many air bubbles and needs time for curing, the effect of vibration can be greater than expected. Therefore, the effect of vibration on ATS was evaluated during the curing process by conducting unconfined compression tests on samples prepared with different values of variables including vibration velocity, starting vibration time, and mixing ratio. Vibration velocities of 0.25 and 0.50 cm/s did not greatly affect the strength. However, vibration velocities of above 2.50 cm/s significantly affected the decrease in strength, and the starting vibration time also had a clear effect on specimens cured for less than 2 hours.