Study on Triaxial Properties of Calcareous Sand Modified with Volcanic Ash Cement and Graphene Oxide

Calcareous sand, characterized by numerous pore spaces, easy fragmentation, and low strength, is commonly used as fill material in island construction projects. Due to these limitations, it often fails to meet the requirements of actual engineering applications. This paper uses oxidized graphene in combination with fly ash cement to modify calcareous sand. The effects of oxidized graphene, fly ash cement, and curing time on the modification effect were investigated through triaxial tests and numerical simulations. The experimental results show the following: (1) Both the extension of curing age and the increase in the dosage of fly ash cement can improve the shear performance of calcareous sand, with the increase in the dosage of fly ash cement able to ensure thorough bonding between calcareous sand particles. (2) Graphene oxide can significantly improve the shear performance of calcareous sand cement mortar, with the optimal dosage being 0.06%. Excess amounts result in a reduced performance improvement, which is related to the degree of the catalysis of oxidized graphene on hydration reactions. (3) The numerical simulation shows that when the maximum shear stress reached 3437 kPa, cracks began appearing on the specimen, consistent with the experimental results. Meanwhile, the numerical simulation results reveal the crack propagation pattern in the specimens, showing that the stress at crack initiation is lower than the peak stress.