Influence of Fiber and Cement Addition on Behavior of Sandy Soil

Abstract

Triaxial compression tests were carried out to evaluate the effect of randomly distributed fiber reinforcement and cement inclusion on the response of a sandy soil to load. Cemented specimens were prepared with cement contents of 0% and 1% by weight of dry soil and cured for seven days. Fiber length was of 12.8 mm, in the contents of 0% and 3% by weight of dry soil-cement mixture. Test results indicated that the addition of cement to soil increases stiffness, brittleness, and peak strength. The fiber reinforcement increases both the peak and residual triaxial strength, decreases stiffness, and changes the cemented soil's brittle behavior to a more ductile one. The triaxial peak strength increase due to fiber inclusion is more effective for uncemented soil. However, the increase in residual strength is more efficacious when fiber is added to cemented soil. Peak strength envelopes indicate that the friction angle is increased from 35° to 46° as a result of fiber inclusion. The cohesion intercept is affected slightly by fiber addition, being basically a function of cementation.