Abstract
Construction of structures on expansive soil is highly risky due to its susceptible behavior towards differential settlements. Different soil stabilization techniques including soil reinforcement have been adopted to improve the properties of the unsuitable soils. In this present study, randomly distributed jute fibres have been used to improve geotechnical properties of expansive soil collected from South Delhi (India). California Bearing Ratio (CBR) tests were carried out on the expansive soil blended with jute fibres. Jute fibres of length 10 mm and 30 mm were included in different percentages viz. 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50 by the dry weight of the soil. The test results indicate that the inclusion of randomly distributed jute fibres significantly improves the CBR value of the soil. The Optimum value of fibre content is found to be 1.25%. An improvement of 226.92% in CBR value of the reinforced soil as compared to unreinforced soil has been observed at the optimum jute fibre content. Since Jute is agricultural waste, the present study provides a cost-effective solution to problematic clayey soils.
Highlights
Infrastructure development like buildings, roads, bridges etc. on expansive soil is a challenging job for Civil engineers due to its swelling and shrinking nature in wet and dry conditions respectively
Wang et al [34] performed direct shear and triaxial tests on expansive soil mixed with fibre and distributed at random to investigate the effect of jute fibre on the shear strength characteristics
Peak load is greater at higher penetrations of the plunger which shows that fibre reinforcement is more effective in resisting penetration and improving the strength of expansive soil
Summary
Infrastructure development like buildings, roads, bridges etc. on expansive soil is a challenging job for Civil engineers due to its swelling and shrinking nature in wet and dry conditions respectively. Shivkumar Babu and Vasudevan [21] through triaxial tests have reported that random inclusion of coir fibre as reinforcing material in clay soil improved its stiffness and strength. Pradhan et al [26] performed Direct Shear tests, Unconfined Compression tests and CBR tests to investigate the effect of random inclusion of polypropylene fibres on strength characteristics of cohesive soil. Wang et al [34] performed direct shear and triaxial tests on expansive soil mixed with fibre and distributed at random to investigate the effect of jute fibre on the shear strength characteristics. A number of California bearing ratio (CBR) tests were performed on expansive soil reinforced with randomly distributed jute fibres and. Since jute is an agriculture waste, natural materials and products are, a cost effective solution for construction industry
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