Investigation of the Fabric Evolution of Bound Soft-Rigid Mixtures Using Imaging Analysis

Abstract Mixtures of soft and rigid aggregates have shown promising potential in geotechnical engineering applications. Prior research has extensively investigated the mechanical properties and behaviour of unbound soft-rigid mixtures. So far, most studies on bound soft-rigid mixtures have primarily been on cemented mixtures, while limited research has been carried out on the behaviour of soft-rigid mixtures bonded with non-brittle binders. There is still a gap in explaining the fabric differences of bound and unbound mixtures and relating their fabrics to the observed mechanical behaviour. This research reports on the fabric characteristics of bound and unbound soft-rigid granular mixtures through computed tomography (CT) imaging, aiming to provide particle-scale insight into their behaviour beyond the insights gained from mechanical testing.