COMPRESSIBILITY AND STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT OF SOFT SOIL BY POLYPROPYLENE FIBER

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the impact of chemical soil modification on the engineering qualities of soils. The addition of chemicals such as cement, fly ash, lime, polymers, or a mixture of these to soil index characteristics alters the physical and chemical properties of soils, including the cementation of soil particles. Polymers have been documented to enhance a substantial improvement in strength in clayey soils due to the formation of bonds among clay minerals and polar end groups of the polymer.
The main aim of this study is to highlight the issue by investigating the suitability of a small number of polypropylene fibers of different proportions as soil reinforcement. Experiments were conducted on clay soil containing various amounts of polypropylene fiber, ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 percent. When polypropylene fiber is combined with soil at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 percent, the liquid and plastic limits, as well as the unconfined compressive strength increased. When 1 percent polypropylene is added to the soil, the compressibility of the soil drops dramatically. The compression index falls by 69 percent, and the swelling index falls by 78 percent. The specific gravity and maximum dry unit weight decrease with the increase in the percentage of polypropylene fiber.