Consolidation and Hydraulic Conductivity of High-Plastic Clay Reinforced with Waste Tire Fibers

Abstract

Abstract Extreme shrinkage, high swelling, excessive settlement, and low shear strength are some undesirable properties of clayey soils. Stabilizing the clayey soil by means of chemical admixtures has been widely adopted in the past. As an alternative to these traditional techniques, the present study proposes an economical and environmentally friendly solution that involves the use of waste tire fibers in clayey soil. The waste tire fibers of three aspect ratios of 9, 6.4, and 4.5 were mixed with four different contents, i.e., 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 %, in clayey soil. In the present study, the one-dimensional consolidation behavior of fiber-reinforced clayey soil was investigated with the help of various consolidation parameters. Test results have confirmed that the swelling nature of clayey soil can be controlled remarkably well with the addition of waste tire fibers. The significant reduction in the settlement was observed for the low aspect ratio fibers. The results show that the rate of consolidation of clayey soil increases considerably with the addition of longer and thicker fibers. Thus, the time required for 90 % consolidation is reduced from 64 to 40 minutes for untreated clayey soil. With an increase in fiber content and size, the void ratio in fiber-reinforced clayey soil increased, which further leads to an increase in hydraulic conductivity. It can be stated that the utilization of waste tires as a reinforcing material in clayey soil can be an economical option for the construction industry mainly because it is an ecofriendly use of tire disposal.