Swell–compression characteristics of a fiber–reinforced expansive soil

This study presents results of an experimental program with respect to fiber's capacity of mitigating the swelling behavior of an expansive soil. Two types of tape–shaped fibers, i.e. fiber A (width f w = 2.5 mm) and fiber B ( f w = 7 mm), were used as the reinforcements. The fibers were included at three contents, i.e. f c = 0.5%, 1% and 1.5%, each having two lengths or aspect ratios ( f AR = 15/2.5 and 30/2.5 for fiber A, and f AR = 15/7 and 30/7 for fiber B). For a given fiber type (constant f w ), improvement in swelling potential/pressure was observed to be a direct function of f c and f l (fiber length) or f AR , with the former taking on a more pronounced role. In addition, for a given f c and f l , the wider fiber (lower f AR ) was more efficient in restricting swelling. The compression characteristics were cross–checked with the swelling properties to arrive the optimum stabilization scenarios. For both fiber types, f c = 0.5% suggested an optimal case. However, where compressional deformations are not a primary concern, higher inclusions up to 1% could also be an acceptable choice.