Riverbank erosion is a common problem of the Romanian freshwater system. Classic riverbank stabilization methods consisted of using different type of concrete, however concrete manufacture consumes large amount of non-renewable raw materials and energy, and it is a carbon-intensive process. Many efforts are, therefore, being undertaken towards the developing “greener” solutions. There are different type of retaining walls resulted from the need to avoid reinforced concrete wall solutions, such as gabion walls, solid masonry walls, rocky embankment prisms, and wooden pile retaining systems. But all of these solutions converge on gathering raw material from an external source, and transporting it on location. In Romania acquiring crushed stone tends to become problematic, especially, in the areas outside the Carpathian mountain range. Therefore a solution of using local soil as a base for a stabilized soil layer is very practical and economical from a technologic point of view. Being a hydrotechnical application, the freeze-thaw resistance of the stabilized layer is crucial for the lifetime of structures. The objective of our study was to determine this parameter, in accordance with the Romanian norms and regulations.

Building of an experimental slope protection system on Căpuş river, near Cluj presented the opportunity of in situ testing of stabilized soils. Different hydraulic binder was used on each side of the river, so this testing series provided valuable data about deformability properties of the encountered soil types. There are some deformability parameters used in Romania which were “imported” at the specific request of foreign investors. The strain modulus, Ev, is a parameter expressing the deformation characteristics of a soil and is calculated taking values from the load-settlement curve obtained from the first and second loading cycle, on a static plate load test. In earthworks, the dynamic plate load test using the Light Falling Weight Deflectometer may be used for testing load-bearing capacity as an alternative to the static plate load test which provides the strain modulus, Ev parameter. Dynamic modulus of deformation Evd is a parameter for the deformability of soil under a defined, vertical impact load with the impact duration. Its value is being calculated with the maximum settlement of the load plate. None of these methods made way into official Romanian standardisation, the Evd is subject of a technical agreement, which also contains the correlation of it with Ev. Conducting both static and dynamic loading tests enabled the verification of validity of relation between strain modulus and dynamic modulus.