Since 2007, the porosity–to–cement relationship has been widely used as a unified parameter to predict mechanical strength, durability, expansion, and stiffness of stabilized soils. In this formulation, the volumetric binder content is adjusted by an internal exponent x, typically ranging between 0 and 1, to balance the relative contributions of porosity and cementation. Traditionally, the parameters of this relationship have been obtained using manual regression procedures. This study proposes an automated calibration methodology for the porosity–binder index, where the parameters A, B, and x are determined through an iterative optimization framework based on minimization of the sum of absolute errors (SAE) combined with a Monte Carlo search algorithm. The methodology is applied to a cement-stabilized clay blended with ground glass (GG), recycled gypsum (GY), and limestone residues (CLW). The predictive capability of the calibrated model is evaluated using unconfined compressive strength (qu) and initial shear stiffness (Go) datasets. Two calibration strategies are considered: Calibration Process No. 1, based on CLW mixtures and qu values only, and Calibration Process No. 2, incorporating all mixtures (CLW, GG, and GY) and both qu and Go responses. The results indicate that Calibration Process No. 2 provides a more robust and physically consistent parameter set, yielding coefficients of determination of 0.9318 and 0.9412 for qu and Go, respectively. The proposed algorithm-driven calibration framework improves predictive capability and provides a systematic approach for determining the parameters of the porosity–binder relationship.
Baldovino et al. (Tue,) studied this question.