Figure 1:
![Chlef sand under study: (a) situation of Chlef (formerly El Asnam) region [42] and (b) sand visualised using a scanning electron microscope [21].](https://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/676b20907306cc7e8721e5bc/j_sgem-2025-0005_fig_001.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA6AP2G7AKMOBUT7WC%2F20260221%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260221T193539Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEOn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJIMEYCIQDReu5H%2F9R5IRgDvC00%2BN5Z2fj9q38RVfw9d07466IRfAIhAPrJJqrlrDHaVuPvSIzW7j4qSoua77lSNBEBptfJbM6VKsUFCLL%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQAhoMOTYzMTM0Mjg5OTQwIgzaGxxzJiNlEvUVx%2B4qmQXcm7QX3EMJRqUA8xxMxzVDEFelKYAcZ4s2SZZ35JY7XovlW2z7%2F1g91L2Y2LDIayDkSP9P3hHivHPYgYrg%2BXyHV6UwRCB1RDlrht2x1EKhHCZVu9V8Qo9oUPeIdwpMKFOd6BqSDJYigK1ClohBM4rXo%2FeRO4EZ1RmE1zJR45U0pi2wAMTnVNx3%2Fpj2HYcuugdRa4FJ2O59ybvba5h29NLzclgBDD0u68jlV%2BBRw4apWgjDqvpVRdIjViJ4RXfWMitRtTCMxk2VV1GM4BosFYJshFqbNCZZQASjTvaRNqj5SHEz7DL2ueJo6aZNRo75jd37omy5bH3arTMmrgL5%2BBlhggEN2zeG%2BuQP5LR9wJglKw8BPMbZlUH2n3mwPbNN58PncG5bSGpMMMLnb03YFaM%2BH%2FgQFIIt1hhIfslkcr8%2BTJ12HfQPJA%2F6WVqv1oYqvdFbjmGOK7qYsydZYFOOLxY3Fzn%2BXGUc8WS7kMCgZK%2BHF%2FFIDOvgMyV2TA9A8979KPhjVJz6uQHUVrLpQo7aPPF9Vqr2AyMmo6miQdXw8Ej0sx9cRoB%2F0nkBMTnr3Q3kZ1EWOI2JZTlLjE8F1N%2B%2BWvU1U9aI5K7YVs00BH4g6RvYAve0ycWhqBn5oMIXeppmiTHmpnxvRZW8CaTjcVuqb%2BI%2F2rZ%2BHOtP8cpSn6hJt6e5FydpZqj0SdqYKZ6BUW7TmFYCJnCWOv3JlguIy44feTqpt3f1XWDljyvn%2F2HpgsiBUO9RH5scUSYpGitO0%2BGc90jWnrOokrgWNjW%2FPdZ0cKiyNmAH3KoKWahJ853e5QMJPcPlc93PGGNwSrm%2FAmlQVqpLZiDPnwMulwR1m2P%2FVpfIfx8VlCXE%2B0Apu0Wa7cX2RiNTq15dlT8ofDDFw%2BfMBjqwAXGiVGHY0J5aSjMnmArZ8rbEgR04kZytM5ZhyhILYMqkL8qTQCWj5QlD7ApIw7txUcJ5dV1txvenkPZixRgkB5Gh0Zjs4gqCiwG3XFCvdLngrDtxG%2BvpcM1bumq1%2BjBacBCnPZp5gxDM2zkKlYTeXtMYKJQCVe2KhqJY4cBcnLPgVjKl%2F%2FjaJQGJKO6lcGyrrMzeGBOSMIflEHmUZd3kBELnd4RumrUOt7qvwNEwSlrQ&X-Amz-Signature=5b612ad7e710d45192af4a963b8132290fb68a56d858239725a5809dd3836bb4&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)
Figure 2:
![Size distribution of the particles of the tested materials [25]. CC, cement content.](https://sciendo-parsed.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/676b20907306cc7e8721e5bc/j_sgem-2025-0005_fig_002.jpg?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIA6AP2G7AKMOBUT7WC%2F20260221%2Feu-central-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260221T193539Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEOn%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaDGV1LWNlbnRyYWwtMSJIMEYCIQDReu5H%2F9R5IRgDvC00%2BN5Z2fj9q38RVfw9d07466IRfAIhAPrJJqrlrDHaVuPvSIzW7j4qSoua77lSNBEBptfJbM6VKsUFCLL%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEQAhoMOTYzMTM0Mjg5OTQwIgzaGxxzJiNlEvUVx%2B4qmQXcm7QX3EMJRqUA8xxMxzVDEFelKYAcZ4s2SZZ35JY7XovlW2z7%2F1g91L2Y2LDIayDkSP9P3hHivHPYgYrg%2BXyHV6UwRCB1RDlrht2x1EKhHCZVu9V8Qo9oUPeIdwpMKFOd6BqSDJYigK1ClohBM4rXo%2FeRO4EZ1RmE1zJR45U0pi2wAMTnVNx3%2Fpj2HYcuugdRa4FJ2O59ybvba5h29NLzclgBDD0u68jlV%2BBRw4apWgjDqvpVRdIjViJ4RXfWMitRtTCMxk2VV1GM4BosFYJshFqbNCZZQASjTvaRNqj5SHEz7DL2ueJo6aZNRo75jd37omy5bH3arTMmrgL5%2BBlhggEN2zeG%2BuQP5LR9wJglKw8BPMbZlUH2n3mwPbNN58PncG5bSGpMMMLnb03YFaM%2BH%2FgQFIIt1hhIfslkcr8%2BTJ12HfQPJA%2F6WVqv1oYqvdFbjmGOK7qYsydZYFOOLxY3Fzn%2BXGUc8WS7kMCgZK%2BHF%2FFIDOvgMyV2TA9A8979KPhjVJz6uQHUVrLpQo7aPPF9Vqr2AyMmo6miQdXw8Ej0sx9cRoB%2F0nkBMTnr3Q3kZ1EWOI2JZTlLjE8F1N%2B%2BWvU1U9aI5K7YVs00BH4g6RvYAve0ycWhqBn5oMIXeppmiTHmpnxvRZW8CaTjcVuqb%2BI%2F2rZ%2BHOtP8cpSn6hJt6e5FydpZqj0SdqYKZ6BUW7TmFYCJnCWOv3JlguIy44feTqpt3f1XWDljyvn%2F2HpgsiBUO9RH5scUSYpGitO0%2BGc90jWnrOokrgWNjW%2FPdZ0cKiyNmAH3KoKWahJ853e5QMJPcPlc93PGGNwSrm%2FAmlQVqpLZiDPnwMulwR1m2P%2FVpfIfx8VlCXE%2B0Apu0Wa7cX2RiNTq15dlT8ofDDFw%2BfMBjqwAXGiVGHY0J5aSjMnmArZ8rbEgR04kZytM5ZhyhILYMqkL8qTQCWj5QlD7ApIw7txUcJ5dV1txvenkPZixRgkB5Gh0Zjs4gqCiwG3XFCvdLngrDtxG%2BvpcM1bumq1%2BjBacBCnPZp5gxDM2zkKlYTeXtMYKJQCVe2KhqJY4cBcnLPgVjKl%2F%2FjaJQGJKO6lcGyrrMzeGBOSMIflEHmUZd3kBELnd4RumrUOt7qvwNEwSlrQ&X-Amz-Signature=b5a50c41d75710dbf999f5c3cfb9e041cd919839cc9326e9514c6b9179590186&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&x-amz-checksum-mode=ENABLED&x-id=GetObject)
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Physical characteristics of Chlef sand_
| Materials used | CC (%) | GS | D50 (mm) | CU | CCURV | emin | emax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chlef sand | 0 | 2.7 | 0.45 | 2.34 | 1.39 | 0.582 | 0.873 |
Chemical and mineralogical compositions of the cement [25]_
| CEM II/A 42.5 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical compositions (%) | Mineralogical compositions (%) | ||
| SiO2 | 20.58 | C3S | 57.79 |
| Al2O3 | 4.90 | ||
| Fe2O3 | 4.70 | C2S | 20.47 |
| CaO | 62.8 | ||
| SO3 | 2.28 | C3A | 7.20 |
| MgO | 0.53 | ||
| K2O | 0.42 | C4AF | 11.49 |
| Na2O | 0.12 | ||
| Free lime | 2.17 | ||
Physicomechanical characteristics of the glass fibres used [29]_
| Name | Unit | Glass fibres | Polypropylene fibres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour | – | White | White |
| Width | mm | 0.12 | 0.03 |
| Thickness | mm | 0.013 | – |
| Specific gravity | – | 2.62 | 0.96 |
| Specific weight | g/m2 | 300 | – |
| Tensile strength | MPa | 2500 | 500–750 |
| Poisson coefficient | – | 0.35 | – |
| Shear modulus | GPa | 29.2 | – |
| Young modulus | GPa | 73 | 2.9–3.8 |