Open Access

ARTICLE

Weak Expansive Soil Physical Properties Modification by Means of a Cement-Jute Fiber

by Zisheng Yang¹, Wendong Li¹, Xuelei Cheng^1,2,*, Ran Hai¹, Shunqun Li³

1 School of Architectural and Civil Engineering, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, 450007, China
2 Yellow River Institute of Hydraulic Research, Zhengzhou, 450003, China
3 School of Civil Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, China

* Corresponding Authors: Xuelei Cheng. Email: ;

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2023, 19(8), 2119-2130. https://doi.org/10.32604/fdmp.2023.025444

Received 12 July 2022; Accepted 24 November 2022; Issue published 04 April 2023

Abstract

Sixteen groups of comprehensive tests have been conducted to investigate the modifications in the physical properties of a weak expansive soil due to the addition of a cement jute fiber. The tests have been conducted to analyze the liquid plastic limit, the particle distribution and the free expansion rate. The results show that: (1) With an increase in the cement-jute fiber content, the free expansion rate of the modified expansive soil gradually decreases, however, such a rate rebounds when the fiber content exceeds 0.5% and the cement content exceeds 6%. (2) With an increase in the cement percentage, the particle unevenness coefficient (Cu) and curvature coeffi- cient (Cc) of the modified expansive soil tend to grow gradually. The Cc coefficient reaches 1.0 when the cement content is 6%. The unevenness coefficient of 16 soil samples is greater than 5.0, however, the Cu coefficient decreases when the cement content reaches 6%. (3) The plastic limit of soil increases as the cement content is made higher, while the liquid limit and plastic index decrease gradually. When the content of the modified material is 2% + 0.1%~2% + 0.7% (Cement content + jute fiber content), the change of particle size distribution is most obvious. (4) When the contents of cement and jute fiber are is 6% and 0.5%, respectively, the modification induced in the physical properties of soil samples corresponds to the best case.

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Keywords

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