Aeolian sands: Characterization, options of improvement and possible employment in construction - The State-of-the-art

Aeolian sands are fine to medium, non-plastic and uniformly graded materials present in many sandy sites, mainly in desert areas. In certain places, these materials can be found in huge amounts, which, in combination with the recent growth of construction and building sector at those sites, make them quite suitable for construction purposes. However, very few is still known on their properties. The present comprehensive literature survey provides a State-of-the-art on the characteristics and performance of the aeolian sands, as well as their consideration in the standards. In addition, various methods to improve these materials and their outcomes and limitations are presented in this paper. In essence, the present research aims to be an up-to-date reference to provide suggestions for a widespread usage of aeolian sands, presenting the different possibilities for their treatment. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.