Durability and mechanistic characteristics of fiber reinforced soil–cement mixtures

Abstract

Over the years, field experiments and research information have been collected and studied on the behavior of soil–cement mixtures, and quite a few studies have been conducted for fiber reinforcement in soil–cement mixtures. This research study focuses on the laboratory durability and mechanistic evaluation of soil–cement mixtures reinforced with Processed Cellulose fibers (PCFs) and polypropylene fibers (PFs). Four soil types from various project sites in the state of Louisiana were acquired. Laboratory tests including the durability, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), indirect tensile strength (ITS), and indirect tensile cyclic load tests (ITCTs) were conducted. The results indicated that the mechanistic characteristics of the soil–cement–fiber mixtures were functions of fiber dosage, soil type and curing time. In general, the durability, UCS, ITS and fracture toughness, and resilient modulus values of soil–cement–fiber mixtures either remained the same or were greater than soil–cement mixtures. Moreover, the horizontal plastic deformation (HPD) rate was significantly lower for soil–cement–fiber mixtures. The implication of the results is that the fiber reinforcement at optimum fiber percentage may resist the tensile or shrinkage crack formation in the soil–cement mixtures for road bases thereby, improving the structural capacity and performance of pavements.

Keywords:

• Cellulose fibers
• Polyethylene fibers
• Soil–cement
• Soil–cement–fiber
• Shrinkage
• Durability

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the Department of Civil Engineering, the LTRC researchers and staff, and LADOTD project engineers for their financial support and valuable inputs.

Notes

†Tel.: [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammad Alrashidi

† †Tel.: [email protected]