Abstract
In this paper, results are reported from a series of laboratory tests conducted on a swelling soil treated with different jute fibers with a twofold objective of reducing their swell characteristics and enhancing their geomechanical properties. The efficacy of passive inclusion of three different jute fibers (i.e., natural, woven, and bitumen coated) in controlling both swell potential and pressure, and improving undrained shear strength and consolidation behavior has been examined. It is observed that the inclusion of jute fibers in the swelling soil expectedly improves both undrained shear strength and CBR value of the treated soil. For instance, the original undrained shear strength improves from 200 kPa to as high as 675 kPa and the original CBR value increases from 3% to a maximum of 7.1%. Similarly, both swell potential and pressure of the treated soil reduced significantly from 4.1% to as low as 1.2% and from 90 kPa to a minimum of 40 kPa, respectively. The improvements in soil properties could be attributed to the reinforcing ability of fibers, which possess a relatively higher tensile strength, in corroboration with the adhesive bond between fibers and soil particles at the micro level. While the former plays an active role in avoiding progression of shear failure, the latter would passively resist the initiation of slip at the soil-fiber interface. Notably, while shear strength of soil generally improves upon addition of jute fibers, inclusion of the bitumen coated fibers has been observed to be more effective than rest.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Civil Engineering Department, University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan, especially the geotechnical engineering division, for rendering their assistance, guidance, information, and support. Miscellaneous support from Helanshan Research Scholar Program of Ningxia University, China, is also acknowledged.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by MWT, JI, KF and HM. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JI, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Tariq, M.W., Israr, J., Farooq, K. et al. Strength Mechanism of a Swelling Soil Improved with Jute Fibers: A Laboratory Treatment. Geotech Geol Eng 41, 4367–4380 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-023-02517-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-023-02517-2