Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study on the hydraulic responses of fiber-reinforced soil (FRS) subject to seepage. A series of upward seepage tests on unreinforced and reinforced sand was conducted to investigate the influence of soil density and fiber parameters (i.e., fiber contents and lengths) on the piping failure mode, hydraulic conductivity k, and critical hydraulic gradient i cr of FRS. Direct shear tests were also performed to establish the relationships between soil shear strength and critical hydraulic gradient of FRS. The seepage test results revealed that k decreases and i cr increases as the fiber content increases. Short fiber appears to reduce k; however, the fiber length has only a minor influence on the i cr . The fiber has a greater effect on dense specimens than it does on loose specimens. The test results also indicate the i cr of FRS is strongly correlated to its soil shear strength. The findings in this study suggest that the use of FRS as backfill in hydraulic structures can effectively delay the advance of seepage, reduce soil piping potential, and improve system stability against seepage. The results and discussion in this study provide insightful information for the application of FRS to hydraulic structures.
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