Experimental investigation of soil reinforced with human hair fibre and chloride compounds

Abstract

Many researches and advancements were carried to increase the strength of soil. Expansive soil contains montmorillonite clay mineral which is high swelling in nature. It is highly sensitive to moisture variation and it leads to encounter many engineering problems like low bearing capacity and settlement. Fibre reinforced soil is one among those advancements which offers a convenient, practical and economical method for overcoming sudden settlement and low bearing capacity. The soil can be reinforced with human hair because of its tensile property. Human Hair Fibre (HHF) is a waste material available at low cost and is not degradable in nature. Present study focuses on determining the strength characteristic of soil sample treated with human hair fibre and chloride compounds in different curing periods. Chemicals were added to the sample in varying percentage related to dry weight of the soil sample. Addition of human hair fibre and chloride compounds enhances the engineering properties of clayey soil. Chloride compounds were added at different percentages (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%) to the soil and changes in the engineering property of soil such as penetration resistance, compaction characteristics and unconfined compressive strength of the soil were investigated. Based on present experimental study, the increase in the percentage of chloride compounds increases the dry density of the soil up to an optimum value then it decreases. The results showed that addition of HHF and chloride compounds stabilize the clayey soil to a particular extent.