Satyam Tiwari* et al.

(IJITR) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH

Volume No.4, Issue No.3, April – May 2016, 2927 – 2930.

Soil Stabilization Using Waste Fiber Materials

SATYAM TIWARI NISHEET TIWARI
Research Scholar Assistant Professor
Department of Civil Engineering Department of Civil Engineering
Acropolis institute of Technology & Research MANIT, Bhopal
Bhopal
Abstract: The main objective of this study is to investigate the use of waste fiber materials in geotechnical
applications and to evaluate the effects of waste polypropylene fibers on shear strength of unsaturated
soil by carrying out direct shear tests and unconfined compression tests on two different soil samples. The
results obtained are compared for the two samples and inferences are drawn towards the usability and
effectiveness of fiber reinforcement as a replacement for deep foundation or raft foundation, as a cost
effective approach
I. INTRODUCTION  Determination of soil index properties
(Atterberg Limits)
For any land-based structure, the foundation is very
important and has to be strong to support the entire  Liquid limit by Casagrande’s apparatus
structure. In order for the foundation to be strong,  Plastic limit
the soil around it plays a very critical role. So, to  Particle size distribution by sieve analysis
work with soils, we need to have proper knowledge  Determination of the maximum dry density
about their properties and factors, which affect (MDD) and the corresponding optimum
their behavior. The process of soil stabilization moisture content (OMC) of the soil by Proctor
helps to achieve the required properties in a soil compaction test
needed for the construction work. From the  Preparation of reinforced soil samples.
beginning of construction work, the necessity of  Determination of the shear strength by:
enhancing soil properties has come to the light. Direct shear test (DST)
Ancient civilizations of the Chinese, Romans and Unconfined compression test (UCS).
Incas utilized various methods to improve soil
Materials
strength etc., some of these methods were so
effective that their buildings and roads still exist.In I. Soil sample-1
India, the modern era of soil stabilization began in
II. Reinforcement: Short PP (polypropylene) fiber.
early 1970’s, with a general Shortage of petroleum
and aggregates, it became necessary for the
engineers to look at means to improve soil other
than replacing the poor soil at the building site. Soil
stabilization was used but due to the use of obsolete
methods and also due to the absence of proper
technique, soil stabilization lost favor. In recent
times, with the increase in the demand for
infrastructure, raw materials and fuel, soil
stabilization has started to take a new shape. With
the availability of better research, materials and Figure No 1 POLYPROPYLENE
equipment, it is emerging as a popular and cost- Table No. 1 Index and strength parameters of PPF
effective method for soil improvement. Here, in
this project, soil stabilization has been done with Behavior parameters Values
the help of randomly distributed polypropylene Fiber type Single fiber
fibers obtained from waste materials. The
improvement in the shear strength parameters has Unit weight 0.91 g/cm3
been stressed upon and comparative studies have Average diameter 0.034 mm
been carried out using different methods of shear Average length 12 mm
resistance measurement. Breaking tensile strength 350 MPa
II. EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION Modulus of elasticity 3500 MPa
Scope of Work Fusion point 1650C
Burning point 5900C
The experimental work consists of the following
step Acid and alkali resistance Very good
Dispersibility Excellent
 Specific gravity of soil

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 Satyam Tiwari* et al.
(IJITR) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH
Volume No.4, Issue No.3, April – May 2016, 2927 – 2930.

Preparation Of Samples WL-Liquid limit WP- Plastic limit

Particle size distribution The results from sieve
Following steps are carried out while mixing the
analysis of the soil when plotted on a semi-log
fiber to the soil-
graph with particle diameter or the sieve size as the
i) All the soil samples are compacted at their abscissa with logarithmic axis and the percentage
respective Maximum Dry Density (MDD) and passing as the ordinate gives a clear idea about the
optimum moisture content (OMC),corresponding to particle size distribution. From the help of this
the standard proctor compaction tests curve, D10 and D60 are determined. This D10 is
the diameter of the soil below which 10% of the
ii) Content of fiber in the soils are herein decided
soil particles lie. The ratio of, D10 and D60 gives
by the following equations
the uniformity coefficient (Cu), which in turn is a
Where, ρf= ratio of fiber content measure of the particle size, range. 2.4.5 Proctor
compaction test
Wf = weight of the fiber
This experiment gives a clear relationship between
W = Weight of the air-dried soil the dry density of the soil and the moisture content
iii) The different values adopted in the present of the soil. The experimental setup consists of (i)
study for the percentage of fiber reinforcement are cylindrical metal mold (internal diameter- 10.15 cm
0, 0.05, 0.15, and 0.25 and internal height-11.7 cm), (ii) detachable base
plate, (iii) collar (5 cm effective height), (iv)
iv) In the preparation of samples, if fiber is not rammer (2.5 kg). Compaction process helps in
used then, the air-dried soil was mixed with an increasing the bulk density by driving out the air
amount of water that depends on the OMC of the from the voids. The theory used in the experiment
soil If fiber reinforcement was used, the adopted is that for any compactive effort, the dry density
content of fibers was first mixed into the air-dried depends upon the moisture content in the soil. The
soil in small increments by hand, making sure that maximum dry density (MDD) is achieved when the
all the fibers were mixed thoroughly, so that a soil is compacted at relatively high moisture
fairly homogenous mixture is obtained, and then content and almost all the air is driven out, this
the required water was added. moisture content is called optimum moisture
Brief Steps Involved In The Experiments content (OMC). After plotting the data from the
experiment with water content as the abscissa and
Specific gravity of the soil The specific gravity of dry density as the ordinate, we can obtain the OMC
soil is the ratio between the weight of the soil and MDD. The equations used in this Experiment
solids and weight of equal volume of water. It is is as follows 2.4.6 Direct shear test This test is used
measured by the help of a volumetric flask in a to find out the cohesion (c) and the angle of
very simple experimental setup where the volume internal friction (φ) of the soil, these are the soil
of the soil is found out and its weight is divided by shear strength parameters. The shear strength is one
the weight of equal volume of water W1- Weight of the most important soil properties and it is
of bottle in gms W2 –weight of bottle + Dry Soil in required whenever any structure depends on the
gms. W3-weight of bottle + Soil + Water. W4 - soil shearing resistance. The test is conducted by
Weight of bottle + Water Specific gravity is always putting the soil at OMC and MDD inside the shear
measured in room temperature and reported to the box, which is made up of two independent parts. A
nearest 0.1 constant normal load (σ) is applied to obtain one
Liquid limit The Casagrande’s tool cuts a groove value of c and φ. Horizontal load (shearing load) is
of size 2mm wide at the bottom and 11 mm wide at increased at a constant rate and is applied till the
the top and 8 mm high. The number of blows used failure point is reached. This load when divided
for the two soil samples to come in contact is noted with the area gives the shear strength ‘τ’ for that
down. Graph is plotted taking number of blows on particular normal load. The equation goes as
a logarithmic scale on the abscissa and water follows: τ = c + ς*tan (φ) After repeating the
content on the ordinate. Liquid limit corresponds to experiment for different normal loads (σ) we obtain
25 blows from a plot which is a straight line with slope equal to
angle of internal friction (φ) and intercept equal to
Plastic limit This is determined by rolling out soil the cohesion (c). Direct shear test is the easiest and
till its diameter reaches approximately 3 mm and the quickest way to determine the shear strength
measuring water content for the soil, which parameters of a soil sample. The preparation of the
crumbles on reaching this diameter. sample is also very easy in this experiment 3
Plasticity index (Ip) was also calculated with the III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
help of liquid limit and plastic limit;
The tests results are summarized in Table 2. The
Ip = wL – wP variation in the Optimum moisture contents,

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 Satyam Tiwari* et al.
(IJITR) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH
Volume No.4, Issue No.3, April – May 2016, 2927 – 2930.

Maximum dry density, California bearing ratio,

unconfined compressive strength and Differential
free index are shown in Figures 1 to 3.
Table 2: Summary of Results
Samp Samp Samp
le 01 le 02 le 03
Specific Gravity Of Soil 2.631 2.65 2.684
Without Fiber 5 2
Specific Gravity Of Soil 2.64 2.655 2.689
With Fiber 5 Figure No 4 Plastic Limit
Liquid Limit Of Soil 40.33 47.05 45.31 IV. CONCLUSION
Without Fiber % % %
[1]. Based on Specific gravity of a soil- With
Liquid Limit Of Soil 43.89 36% 41.80 mixing of 0.5% fibers (PPF) specific gravity
With Fiber % % of the soil increases by 0.3%. (From table no
3 and 4) Strength of the soil is directly
Plastic Limit Of Soil 28.68 29.67 29.72
proportional to specific gravity, more is the
Without Fiber % % %
specific gravity more will be the strength of
Plastic Limit Of Soil 22.35 28.14 27.03 soil.
With Fiber % % % [2]. Based on liquid limit of a soil - Soil without
reinforcement and with reinforcement have
Shrinkage Limit Of Soil 3.029 2.97 2.94 liquid limit difference of 18.18%.
Without Fiber [3]. Based on plastic limit of a soil - As similar to
Shrinkage Limit Of Soil 5.65 6.1 5.46 liquid limit the plastic limit of soil is also
With Fiber (Ppf) reduces. It reduces from 29.35% to 25.8% . %
decrease in plastic limit is 12% (From table
no 7 and 8) , This result shows increase in
shear strength , Cohesiveness and consistency
of soil mass.
[4]. Based on liquid limit of a soil - The value of
the shrinkage limit in reinforced soil is less
than that of unreinforced soil. Hence with the
use of polypropylene fiber shrinkage
reduces.
[5]. The value of shrinkage limit is used for
understanding the swelling and shrinkage
properties of cohesive soil. lesser is the
shrinkage more will the suitability of material
for foundation , road and embankment as
more will be the strength.
Figure No 2 Shrinkage Limit
V. REFERENCES
[1]. ASTM D 854 “Standard test methods for
specific gravity of soil solids by water
pycnometer”.
[2]. “Method of Test for Specific Gravity of
Soils” published by “Department of
Transportation Engineering Service Center,
California”.
[3]. “Test Method for the Determination of the
Specific Gravity of Soils” published by
Figure No 3 Liquid Limit “Geotechnical Engineering Bureau”, (April
2007).
[4]. Akbar Pashazadeh1, Mahmood Ghazavi2 ,
and Morteza Chekaniazar3 presented in
there paper entitled “Experimental study of

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 Satyam Tiwari* et al.
(IJITR) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH
Volume No.4, Issue No.3, April – May 2016, 2927 – 2930.

the effect of polyethylene fibers with

random distribution on the engineering
behavior of the mixture of flimsy sand with
clay soils” (2011)
[5]. Behzad Kalantari presented in there paper
entitled “Laboratory Investigation on the
Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on the CBR
of Stabilized Wind-Blow Sand” (2011)
[6]. Shah Kinjala, A.K.Desaib and
C.H.Solankic presented in there paper
entitled “Experimental Study On The
Atterberg Limit’s Of Expansive Soil
Reinforced With Polyester Triangular
Fibers” published in “International Journal
of Engineering Research and Applications”
(IJERA) Vol. 2, Issue 4, June-July 2012,
pp.636-639.
[7]. Rabindra Kumar Kar, Pradip Kumar
Pradhan, Ashutosh Naik presented in there
paper entitled “Consolidation
Characteristics of Fiber Reinforced
Cohesive Soil” (2012).
[8]. G.S. Ghataora and U.K. Ling presented in
there paper entitled “Behaviour of Fibre-
Reinforced And Stabilized Clayey Soils
Subjected To Cyclic Loading” published in
“Studia Geotechnica et Mechanica”, Vol.
XXXII, No. 3, 2010.
[9]. Krishna R. Reddy address on “Engineering
Properties of Soils Based on Laboratory
Testing”. (August 2002)
[10]. Gopal Ranjan, A.S.R.Rao, 1991 “Basic and
Applied Soil Mechanics”
[11]. Strength and mechanical behavior of short
polypropylene fiber reinforced and cement
stabilized clayey soil published by
Chaosheng Tang Bin Shi Wei Gao
Fengjun Chen Yi Cai.
[12]. Dr. K.R. ARORA, “Soil Mechanics and
Foundation Engineering”, 2008.
[13]. B.C. PUNMIA, 2007, “Soil Mechanics and
Foundation”, Laxmi Publications

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