Mechanism of Strength Development and Microstructural Evolution of KDJ-II–Cement Composite-Stabilized Soil for Loess Base Courses

Rural road construction in the loess region of Gansu Province is constrained by aggregate shortage, high material transportation costs, and the limited early performance of cement-stabilized soil. In this study, KDJ-II stabilizer and cement were used to prepare KDJ-II–cement composite-stabilized soil for potential use as a base-course material. Compared with cement-stabilized soil, the addition of 0.02% KDJ-II increased the 7-day unconfined compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and resilient modulus by 16.7%, 17.6%, and 12.1%, respectively. Leaching-based ion concentration analysis, XRD, FTIR, and SEM were used to interpret the early strength development mechanism. The results suggest that KDJ-II influenced the leachable ion release and retention behavior of the cement-stabilized soil and helped form a sulfate-rich, alkaline, and soluble-silica-bearing reaction environment under the tested conditions. This environment may favor the development of sulfate-bearing hydration products, the activation of primary aluminosilicate minerals, and the formation of C–S–H-like gels. The coupled variations in leachable Ca²⁺, SO₄²⁻, and Na⁺, together with the increase in calcite, decrease in albite, broadening of the absorption band at approximately 1018 cm⁻¹, and the SEM-observed needle/fibrous products, flocculent gels, and reduced visible pores, collectively support the interpretation that KDJ-II promotes particle cementation, pore filling, and microstructural densification. Overall, this study indicates that, under the selected mixture proportion and curing condition, KDJ-II can improve the early strength and stiffness of cement-stabilized loess by modifying the early reaction environment and promoting the coordinated development of hydration-related products and a denser microstructure.