Study on Strength Influence Mechanism of Fiber-Reinforced Expansive Soil Using Jute

This study was undertaken to research the effects of jute fiber content, fiber length, water content and dry density of reinforced and unreinforced soil on the strength influence mechanism by implementing a series of laboratory tests and analysis. The most efficient fiber reinforcement effects was achieved by means of adding jute fiber with content of 0.6 % and length of 6 mm into expansive soil specimen prepared at maximum dry density and optimum moisture content. The cohesion of reinforced specimens increased first with increasing fiber content and fiber length and then decreased with further increase in fiber content and fiber length. The internal friction angle of reinforced specimens were not affected significantly by fiber content and fiber length. Higher water content reduces the fiber reinforcement effects by means of acting as lubricant in the interface of fiber and soil particles. Fiber reinforcement effects is more prominent for specimens prepared at higher dry density by increasing the effective contact area of fiber/soil. The application prospect of soil reinforcement using natural fiber is impeded by the hydrophilic nature and biodegradability of natural fiber, thus, studies on using chemical additive to do surface treatment for natural fiber are needed to improve the interfacial interaction of fiber/soil so as to widen the application of natural fiber.     

Evaluation of Static Liquefaction Characteristics of Saturated Loose Sand Through the Mean Grain Size and Extreme Grain Sizes

Liquefaction of soils is a natural phenomenon associated with a dramatic loss of the soil shear strength in undrained conditions due to a development of excess pore water pressure. It usually causes extensive damages to buildings and infrastructures during earthquakes. Thus, it is important to evaluate extent of influential parameters on the liquefaction phenomenon of soils in order to clearly understand the different mechanisms leading to its triggering. The soil gradation is one of the most important parameters affecting the liquefaction phenomenon. In this context, a series of undrained compression triaxial tests were carried out on eighteen natural loose (Dr = 25%) sandy samples containing low plastic fines content of 2% (I_p = 5%) considering different extreme sizes (1.6 mm ≤ D_max ≤ 4 mm and 0.001 mm ≤ D_min ≤ 0.63 mm) and two mean grain size ranges (0.25 mm ≤ D₅₀ ≤ 1.0 mm) and (1.0 mm ≤ D₅₀ ≤ 2.5 mm). The initial confining pressure for all tests was kept constant (P′_c = 100 kPa). The obtained test results indicate that the mean grain size (D₅₀) and extreme grain sizes (D_max and D_min) have a significant influence on the undrained shear strength (known as liquefaction resistance) and appear as pertinent factors for the prediction of the undrained shear strength for the soil gradation under study. The undrained shear strength and the excess pore water pressure can be correlated to the extreme grain sizes (D_max and D_min) and the mean grain size (D₅₀) of tested wet deposited samples.     

Impact of Carpet Waste Fibre Addition on Swelling Properties of Compacted Clays

Municipalities and recycling and environmental authorities are concerned about the growing amount of carpet waste produced by household, commercial and industrial sectors. It is reported that 500,000 tonnes of carpet waste fibre are plunged into landfills annually in the UK. In the United States of America, around 10 million tonnes of textile waste was generated in 2003. In geotechnical engineering, expansive clay soils are categorised as problematic soils due to their swelling behaviour upon increase in the moisture content. The problematic nature of such soils is intensified with the increase in the plasticity index. This paper presents results of a comprehensive investigation into utilisation of carpet waste fibres in order to improve the swelling characteristics of compacted cohesive soils. Therefore, two different clay soils with markedly different plasticity indices (i.e. 17.0 and 31.5 %) were treated with two different types of carpet waste fibre. Waste fibres were added to prepare specimens with fibre content of 1, 3 and 5 % by dry weight of soil. Soil specimens with different dry unit weights and moisture contents were prepared so as to the swelling behaviour of fibre reinforced compacted clays is completely attained under various scenarios. The results indicated that the behaviour of the fibre reinforced soils seems highly dependent on the initial compaction state and secondary on the moisture content. It was found that the swelling pressure drops rapidly as the percentage of fibre increases in samples prepared at the maximum dry unit weight and optimum moisture content. Reducing the dry unit weight, while maintaining constant moisture content or increasing the moisture content at constant dry unit weight was found to reduce the swelling pressure.     

Collapse behaviour of a lateritic soil

Collapsible soils are problematic by nature. They undergo collapse or sudden settlement or subsidence under a given stress when their water content is increased. Collapse is characterised by collapse potential expressed as ΔH/H x 100, where ΔH is collapse compression. The amount of stress applied and the water content at the time of collapse govern the amount of collapse. In other words, collapse potential depends upon the amount of stress and the water content. Loess and other wind-blown silts are examples of collapsible soils. This paper presents a parametric study on the collapse behaviour of a lateritic soil. Remoulded specimens of a lateritic soil passing through a 425 µm sieve were compacted in 1-D consolidometer or oedometer at a density of 13 kN/m³ for studying collapse under varied initial moisture contents and initial surcharge pressures. Collapse compression of the samples was induced by saturating the specimens with water contents corresponding to 100% degree of saturation. After collapse occurred, the 1-D consolidation tests were continued up to an applied stress of 160 kPa. Collapse behaviour was studied for the applied initial pressures (σ_i) of 10, 20 and 40 kPa and for the initial water contents (w_i) of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. Collapse compression and collapse potential decreased with increasing w_i for all σ_i.     

Repeated Load Triaxial Testing of Recycled Concrete Aggregate for Pavement Base Construction

This paper presents the results and analysis of Repeated Load Triaxial Testing (RLTT) conducted on three basecourse products; two crushed concrete, or Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) materials, and a local Virgin Aggregate (VA). The objective of this testing program was to study the impact of applied stress states on resilient modulus and permanent deformation of the materials using the AUSTROADS RLTT approach (Vuong and Brimble 2000). A series of RLTT was performed under drained conditions on cylindrical specimens statically compacted at different levels of initial moisture content. The RLTT specimens were tested at 60, 80 and 90 % of Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) and to a single target dry density ratio of 98 % of Maximum Dry Density from Modified Proctor compaction testing. Duplicate specimens were tested for each moisture level. On sample measurements were made of sample deformation. It was found that the resilient moduli of the two RCA products ranged between 340 and 715 MPa, while corresponding moduli from tests on VA varied from 270 to 450 MPa. Resilient modulus was found to be dependent on both moisture content and applied stress. The two specimens of VA prepared at 90 % OMC failed during the permanent strain testing stages of the AUSTROADS test protocol. Moreover the recycled materials could be used as basecourses according to interpretation of the AUSTROADS RLTT data by Vuong and Arnold (2006).     

Effect of Strain Rate on the Strength Characteristics of Soil–Lime Mixture

The effects of rate of strain on strength and deformation characteristics of soil–lime were investigated. Five strain rates (0.1, 0.8, 2.0, 4.0 and 7.0 %/min), five lime contents (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 %) by dry soil weight and three cell pressures (100, 200 and 340 kN/m²) were carried. Triaxial tests, under unconsolidated condition, were used to study the effect of strain rate on strength and initial modulus of elasticity of soil and soil–lime mixture after two curing periods 7 and 21 days, respectively. A total of 405 triaxial specimens have been tested, where 225 specimens have been tested with first curing period (7 days). The testing program includes nine specimens for each strain rate, and each lime content was carried out, including natural soil with zero lime content. Another set of triaxial tests with a total of 180 specimens for the second curing period (21 days) was prepared at optimum moisture content, and the corresponding maximum dry density was also tested. The effects of strain rate and curing period on each of stress–strain behavior, type of failure, deviator stress at failure, cohesion and angle of internal friction and initial modulus of elasticity were studied thoroughly for the natural soil as well as soil–lime mixtures. For natural soil, the test results showed that the undrained shear strength, the initial modulus of elasticity and the cohesion increase significantly as the strain rate increase, while for soil–lime mixture at different curing periods, the undrained shear strength, initial modulus of elasticity and the cohesion increases to a maximum and then decreases as the strain rate and lime content increase. Also, the same variables and angle of internal friction increase with increasing curing period.     

A laboratory study of the initial structure and the overconsolidation effects on the undrained monotonic behavior of sandy soil from Chlef region in northern Algeria

The effects of initial state of the samples and the overconsolidation ratio (OCR) on the behavior of Chlef sand were studied in this article. For this purpose, the results of two series of undrained monotonic triaxial compression tests on medium dense sand are presented. In the first test series, the influence of the specimen's fabric and confining pressure has been studied. The tests were conducted at initial confining pressure of 50, 100, and 200 kPa. Two methods of sample preparation, which included the dry funnel pluviation and the wet deposition, were utilized. All the samples were subjected to a monotonic loading after consolidation phase. The results of the tests demonstrate that an increase in initial confining pressure leads to an increase in the resistance to liquefaction. The results also show that the samples prepared with the dry funnel pluviation method exhibit a greater resistance to liquefaction than those prepared with the wet deposition method. In the second series of tests, the overconsolidation influence on the resistance to the sand liquefaction has been realized on samples at an effective stress of 100 kPa for OCR varying between 1 and 8. The tests show that the increase of OCR improves the stiffness of sand and accelerates the appearance of dilatancy.     

汶川地震区崩滑堆积体强度现场直剪试验研究

以汶川震区漩口一带地震诱发的松散堆积体为研究对象,开展碎石土原状样和重塑样的现场直剪对比试验,探讨不同法向应力、不同粒度组成和不同含水率等条件下碎石土的剪切强度特性。研究结果表明,地质成因和岩土体结构相似、粒度组成不同且级配不良的碎石土的剪切强度特性具有相似性;原状样剪切强度明显高于相同干密度和含水率的重塑样;级配良好的碎石土应变硬化程度略高于级配不良的碎石土,当粒径大于5 mm的粗颗粒含量大于42.9%时,随粗颗粒含量增加,碎石土的内摩擦角增加,而粘聚力则先减小后增大;抗剪强度指标与含水率呈线性负相关关系,随着含水率增高,碎石土抗剪强度降低,其中粘聚力较内摩擦角下降更明显。综合前人研究和本次试验结果,建议汶川震区类似结构组分碎石土天然状态下的剪切强度指标c值取15±3 k Pa,φ值取30°±2°。     

Effects of Particle Size Distribution on Compaction Behavior and Particle Crushing of a Mudstone Particle Mixture

Based on a standard compaction test and a standard sieve analysis test on five tested materials, the effects of the particle size distribution on the compaction behavior and particle crushing of a crushed mudstone particle mixture were investigated. Testing results indicate that the value of the maximum dry density ranges from 2.09 to 2.17 g/cm³, the optimum moisture content from 7.40 to 11.66 %, and the average relative breakage from 0.065 to 0.285, respectively. Based on the tested data, the variations of the maximum dry density, optimum moisture content and average relative breakage, with the median particle diameter and gravel content of the tested mixtures, were analyzed, respectively.     

石灰改良高液限土强度特性的函数模型研究

针对广西荔玉高速路基沿线产生的大量高液限土弃方问题,采用生石灰对高液限土进行改良处理。选取弃土场的高液限土,分别配制不同初始含水率、不同石灰掺量的试样进行侧限压缩试验和快剪试验,采用基本初等数学函数模型拟合不同饱和状态、不同初始含水率下石灰掺量对试件压缩特性和抗剪强度影响。结果表明:(1)高液限土的压缩系数随石灰掺量增加呈指数形式减小;(2)不同饱和状态试件的黏聚力和内摩擦角随石灰掺量增加呈二次函数形式变化;(3)高液限土具有水敏性,饱和素土试件最大抗剪强度对应的含水率较击实试验最大干密度对应的含水率高3%～6%;(4)当初始含水率不高于26.73%时,建议石灰掺量不低于6%,否则改良高液限土的石灰掺量不低于8%,可在满足经济性的前提下达到较好的改良效果。     

Managing crop stubble during fallow period for soil water conservation: field experiment and modelling

In the arid and semi-arid environments where the rainfall is limited and variable, fallow period soil moisture conservation using stubble is one of the ways of increasing the soil moisture required for crop sowing and development. However, the effectiveness of moisture conservation using stubble depends on the paddock management, soil water content, and rainfall characteristics. To assess the effect of stubble rate and amount of rainfall on the soil moisture conservation, a two-season field experiment was conducted using four stubble rates (0, 2, 4, 6 t/ha) and two water supply amounts. The soil water dynamics was also analysed using a validated Agricultural Production System Simulator (APSIM). In the relatively wet summer season with a high initial soil water content, the amount of water stored in the 2, 4, and 6 t/ha stubble rate treatment plots was higher than that of the bare plots by 10.4, 15.9, and 17.8 mm, respectively. However, in the summer season with a relatively high amount of in-season water input and low initial soil water content, the soil water storage was increased by 29.4, 35.6, and 43.0 mm, respectively. Comparing the results of the two seasons, the highest increase was observed for the 2 t/ha stubble rate. The amount of conserved soil moisture was found to be the highest when the soil profile water content at the start of the summer-fallow period is low and the amount of rain during the summer season is high. The good agreement between the measured and APSIM-simulated soil water contents (R ² = 0.812), indicates that the model can be used to assess the soil water dynamics under a fallow condition. The APSIM-simulated soil water balance using the weather data of the past 100 years indicated that in a year with low start-of-fallow period soil water content, a 6 t/ha stubble rate can increase the end-of-fallow period soil moisture by up to 60 %.     

Geotechnical characteristics of volcanic soil from seismically induced Aratozawa landslide, Japan

This paper seeks to investigate the properties of volcanic soil from the Aratozawa landslide, the largest failure triggered by the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku earthquake, Japan. The Aratozawa landslide, which extended about 1,200 m long and 800 m wide, consisted of a complex system of ridges and depressions, including a number of smaller failures that occurred within the slide body. Field investigation was carried out to study the geotechnical properties of pumice that was exposed at the scarp of two smaller slides. The pumice was found to be heavily weathered, having low dry density and high moisture content. Portable cone penetration tests were performed to evaluate the in situ properties of soil as well as to determine the thickness of the weathered zone. Laboratory examination included slake-durability tests, grain-size distribution analysis, and a series of cyclic loading triaxial compression tests conducted on undisturbed and reconstituted samples. Laboratory test data indicated that the soil had a high potential for generation of excess pore-water pressures, suggesting that liquefaction might have occurred in the weathered mass of pumice during the earthquake.     

Stabilization of Expansive Soil with Cement Kiln Dust and RBI Grade 81 at Subgrade Level

The present research work deals with an expansive high plastic clayey soil with cement kiln dust (CKD) and stabilizer (RBI Grade 81). The physical and engineering properties of soil are plasticity, compaction, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), consolidation and California bearing ratio (CBR) of the clayey soil and clay treated with CKD and stabilizer were determined. Soil chemistry was examined before and after treatment using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and elemental dispersive spectrometer. The clay mixed with CKD, CKD and RBI Grade 81 was found that optimum contents are 10 % (CKD), 15 % CKD with 4 % RBI Grade 81, respectively. The result indicates that CKD alone will decrease maximum dry density and increase optimum moisture content. CKD with RBI Grade 81 slightly increases maximum dry density and decreases optimum moisture content. UCS increased with CKD alone and CKD with RBI Grade 81 from 88.3 to 976 kN/m², respectively. CBR values were increased by the addition of CKD, CKD with RBI Grade 81 from 1.65 to 21.7 %. With the curing time of 3, 14 and 28 days, UCS and CBR values were increased due to pozzolanic reaction from cementations material. The treated soil has considerable reduction in compression index. SEM images clearly indicate the formation of CSH and CAH gel.     

Experimental investigation on the effect of the mode of deposition on the pore-access size distribution of sand

It is well known that the specimen preparation method and the resulting sand fabric significantly affect sand behaviour and sand liquefaction resistance. In this study, a simple experimental method namely tensiometric method is presented for evaluation of the effect of the samples reconstituting methods on microstructure and the pore-access size distribution of sands. Specimens were prepared using dry funnel pluviation (DFP) and wet deposition (WD) at two densities Dr = 40% (loose state) and Dr = 80% (dense state). The water-retention curve of a sand specimen is evaluated using a technique similar to the hanging column method by application of a step-by-step variation of suction and measure of the corresponding changes in water content. The pore-access size distribution is then evaluated from the water-retention curve. In this experimental study the effects of the mode of deposition and the uniformity coefficient on the pore-access size distribution are investigated. It was found that the specimen generated by the WD method contained a higher percentage of pore size, contrary to the specimen prepared by the DFP which contained a limited percentage of pore size, causing a great influence on the mechanical behaviour of the specimens.     

基质吸力对非饱和重塑黄土崩解性影响试验研究

取陕北地区马兰黄土制成一系列干密度相同而含水率不同的重塑对比试验土样。用体积压力板仪测得土样的土-水特征曲线。利用自制的崩解试验仪器对不同初始基质吸力土样进行试验,得出平均崩解速度与初始基质吸力的关系曲线。试验结果表明,干燥黄土比湿润黄土更易发生崩解破坏,非饱和重塑黄土的初始基质吸力与平均崩解速度存在对数关系。基质吸力对非饱和重塑黄土崩解性的影响主要表现为两个方面：①基质吸力越大,水在土中的渗透速度越快,水快速入渗可提高土体内部孔隙水压力,同时溶解黄土颗粒间胶结物,使土体软化;②水快速占据土体内部孔隙,使土体内部气体以气泡形式挤出形成对外的压力。     

Classification,shear strength,and durability of expansive clayey soil stabilized with lime and perlite

An experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of perlite and perlite–lime admixtures on classification, shear strength, and durability properties of an expansive soil containing smectite clay minerals. Two types of mixtures, namely soil–perlite and soil–perlite–lime, were prepared with different percentages of perlite and compacted with standard Proctor energy at their optimum water contents. Samples of 38 mm diameter and 76 mm height for durability tests and square samples of 60 mm edge for shear box test were taken and preserved until test time in a desiccator. Disturbed samples were also taken to determine liquid and plastic limits. The expansive soil shows behavior of fine sand and silt due to pozzolanic reactions in microstructure caused by addition of lime and perlite. Although apparent cohesion of treated soil decreased with increasing amount of perlite for both types of samples, perlite–lime-treated samples had higher apparent cohesion than only perlite-treated samples. Large increments in angle of shearing resistance were obtained with increasing usage of perlite. Samples stabilized with only perlite could not show enough durability at the durability tests based on volumetric stability and unconfined compression strength. However, samples stabilized with lime and more than 30 % perlite proved to have enough durability and shear strength.     

Characteristics of strength and pore distribution of lime-flyash loess under freeze-thaw cycles and dry-wet cycles

This paper investigated the characteristics of unconfined compression strength and pore distribution of lime-flyash loess (LFL) by means of a series of experiments under freeze-thaw cycles or dry-wet cycles. The test samples, designed with moisture content 23.5% and dry density 1.565 g/cm³, were mixed at a certain mass ratio of 0.05(lime):0.1(flyash):1(dry loess). Unconfined compression strength tests and mercury injection experiments of LFL were both conducted. The data derived from unconfined compression strength tests indicated that the strength of LFL decreased dramatically after two times of dry-wet cycles, then strength increased slightly and kept stable in the following cycles, and the final strength loss was 29% under dry-wet cycles; the strength of LFL became stable after six times of freeze-thaw cycles, and the corresponding final strength loss was 16%. The data obtained from mercury injection experiments showed that the total pore volume of LFL under dry-wet cycles increased by 19%, in which volume proportion of large pores was dramatically increased but medium pores, small pores, and micropores stayed unchanged; while the total pore volume of LFL under freeze-thaw cycles increased by 14%, in which volume proportion of large pores was dramatically increased and micropores was slightly increased, but medium pores and small pores basically stayed unchanged. Therefore, both freeze-thaw cycles and dry-wet cycles undermine the strength of LFL, but they caused a typically different characteristic of pore distribution from the microperspective.     

弱膨胀土浸水变形特性及其预测

对取自江苏省淮安市的膨胀土进行了浸水后的膨胀变形和压缩变形试验。在竖向压力25~800 k Pa范围下,研究了不同初始含水率和初始干密度对浸水膨胀变形特性的影响。结果表明:浸水饱和膨胀变形量主要取决于初始干密度,且初始含水率也有一些影响;在相同的含水率下,膨胀变形量随着干密度的增加而增大;在相同干密度条件下,含水率越大,浸水膨胀变形量略微减小。根据各组的固结状态线和浸水饱和膨胀后状态线的交点,得出了介于浸水膨胀和浸水压缩的分界状态线,此线基本上不受初始含水率的影响,进而可以判定不同孔隙比、不同竖向压力下土样处于浸水膨胀还是压缩。最后,基于浸水变形试验结果,提出了一种简便的预测弱膨胀土在不同竖向压力下膨胀变形量的方法。     

Strength and compressibility of Abqaiq marl, Saudi Arabia

The increasing number of construction projects and the lack of good quality soil for use in these projects in eastern Saudi Arabia necessitate the use of available marginal soils. Most, if not all, engineering projects use the fine-grained calcareous sediments, known locally as marl, either as a foundation material or as a fill material. The lack of published information on their engineering characteristics and behavior under ambient conditions has resulted in many construction and post-construction problems. This investigation is one of a series to evaluate the geotechnical properties of selected marl soils obtained from different areas in eastern Saudi Arabia. Marl samples, obtained from Abqaiq, were prepared in the laboratory under controlled conditions and subjected to different tests including CBR (soaked and unsoaked), triaxial compression, unconfined compression and one-dimensional compression tests. Samples were prepared at different moisture contents on both the wet and dry sides of optimum. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that this marl contains high percentages of dolomite and calcite, in addition to other materials. The molding water content significantly affects the engineering properties of this material. Compaction on the dry side of optimum resulted in samples that have some swelling potential and highly compressible characteristics when subjected to a load after inundation.     

压实黏质砂土脱湿过程影响机制的核磁共振分析

通过对具有不同初始含水率和干密度的两种压实黏质砂土的脱湿曲线进行测试、分析和对比,并结合核磁共振技术,探讨了干密度、初始含水率和土样组分对压实黏质砂土脱湿过程的影响规律。利用核磁共振测得了试样在各级吸力下的T2时间（横向弛豫时间）分布曲线,定性地探讨了不同吸力下试样中的水分分布特征,揭示了干密度、初始含水率和土样组分对试样脱湿过程的微观机制影响。试验结果表明：干密度仅在低基质吸力条件下对试样脱湿过程产生重要影响,而在高吸力条件下初始含水率和试样组分起主导作用;核磁共振结果证实在压实黏质砂土中,小孔隙结构主要由初始含水率和试样组分控制,而大孔隙的结构主要取决于干密度;试样组分对压实土的内部结构和孔隙大小分布的影响比初始含水率大。